States › Oklahoma › Routes › US Route 81
US Route 81
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 75Deaths 92Counties 8Latest 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.
US Route 81 in Oklahoma was the trafficway in 75 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 92 people died.
That is 1.2% of the 6,172 fatal crashes in Oklahoma over the same years. The ten-year crash count was about level between 2005–2014 (78) and 2015–2024 (75).
The crashes were concentrated in Grady County (27), Stephens County (14) and Canadian County (10) and 5 other counties.
16.0% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Oklahoma: 26.5%) and 14.7% had a speeding-related driver (26.0%); pedestrians were 7.6% and motorcyclists 15.2% 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 Oklahoma
| Measure | US Route 81 | Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 75 | 6,172 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 92 | 6,765 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.2% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -4% | -4% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-81 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grady County | 27 | 36% | 122 |
| 2 | Stephens County | 14 | 19% | 59 |
| 3 | Canadian County | 10 | 13% | 163 |
| 4 | Kingfisher County | 9 | 12% | 40 |
| 5 | Garfield County | 6 | 8% | 66 |
| 6 | Jefferson County | 5 | 7% | 10 |
| 7 | Grant County | 3 | 4% | 16 |
| 8 | Bryan County | 1 | 1% | 111 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 81 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Oklahoma share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 5–10 | 16 | 21% |
| Mile 0–5 | 15 | 20% |
| Mile 10–15 | 9 | 12% |
| Mile 15–20 | 2 | 3% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 56% 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 Oklahoma
- Interstate 44 264
- Interstate 40 263
- Interstate 35 204
- US Route 69 135
- US Route 62 127
- US Route 64 113
- US Route 70 107
- US Route 75 102
- US Route 77 94
- State Route 51 92
- US Route 270 91
- US Route 177 90
All routes and counties in Oklahoma
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 81 in Oklahoma?
75 fatal crashes with 92 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 81 had the most fatal crashes?
Grady County (27), Stephens County (14), Canadian County (10), Kingfisher County (9) and Garfield County (6).
What share of crashes on US Route 81 involved alcohol or speeding?
16.0% had a driver reported as drinking and 14.7% a speeding-related driver, against 26.5% and 26.0% for all fatal crashes in Oklahoma.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 81?
42.7% 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.