States › Nebraska › Routes › US Route 281
US Route 281
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 24Deaths 28Counties 6Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 24 fatal crashes on US Route 281 in Nebraska, with 28 deaths.
That is 1.1% of the 2,087 fatal crashes in Nebraska over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 26% from 19 in 2005–2014 to 24 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Hall County (12), Adams County (5) and Greeley County (2) and 3 other counties.
25.0% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Nebraska: 32.6%) and 16.7% had a speeding-related driver (17.5%); pedestrians were 3.6% and motorcyclists 14.3% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Nebraska
| Measure | US Route 281 | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 24 | 2,087 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 28 | 2,346 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.1% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +26% | +4% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-281 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hall County | 12 | 50% | 66 |
| 2 | Adams County | 5 | 21% | 30 |
| 3 | Greeley County | 2 | 8% | 3 |
| 4 | Howard County | 2 | 8% | 6 |
| 5 | Webster County | 2 | 8% | 8 |
| 6 | Wheeler County | 1 | 4% | 1 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 281 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Nebraska share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 65–70 | 4 | 17% |
| Mile 75–80 | 4 | 17% |
| Mile 70–75 | 3 | 13% |
| Mile 0–5 | 1 | 4% |
| Mile 5–10 | 1 | 4% |
| Mile 25–30 | 1 | 4% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 91.7% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Nebraska
- Interstate 80 205
- US Route 30 88
- US Route 6 78
- US Route 75 68
- US Route 81 67
- US Route 275 54
- US Route 77 52
- US Route 34 46
- State Route 2 39
- State Route 92 31
- US Route 20 30
- State Route 64 28
All routes and counties in Nebraska
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 281 in Nebraska?
24 fatal crashes with 28 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 281 had the most fatal crashes?
Hall County (12), Adams County (5), Greeley County (2), Howard County (2) and Webster County (2).
What share of crashes on US Route 281 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.0% had a driver reported as drinking and 16.7% a speeding-related driver, against 32.6% and 17.5% for all fatal crashes in Nebraska.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 281?
40.9% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.