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Interstate 81
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 169Deaths 214Counties 9Latest 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.
Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania was the trafficway in 169 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 214 people died.
That is 1.6% of the 10,864 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 7% from 158 in 2005–2014 to 169 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Cumberland County (37), Franklin County (25) and Lackawanna County (20) and 6 other counties.
16.6% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Pennsylvania: 25.4%) and 43.2% had a speeding-related driver (40.2%); pedestrians were 8.9% and motorcyclists 6.5% 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 Pennsylvania
| Measure | Interstate 81 | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 169 | 10,864 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 214 | 11,650 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.6% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +7% | -14% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on I-81 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumberland County | 37 | 22% | 189 |
| 2 | Franklin County | 25 | 15% | 183 |
| 3 | Lackawanna County | 20 | 12% | 185 |
| 4 | Luzerne County | 20 | 12% | 295 |
| 5 | Dauphin County | 19 | 11% | 272 |
| 6 | Lebanon County | 19 | 11% | 175 |
| 7 | Schuylkill County | 16 | 9% | 190 |
| 8 | Susquehanna County | 12 | 7% | 90 |
| 9 | Columbia County | 1 | 1% | 73 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on Interstate 81 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Pennsylvania share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 10 | 6% |
| Mile 15–20 | 10 | 6% |
| Mile 65–70 | 9 | 5% |
| Mile 85–90 | 9 | 5% |
| Mile 60–65 | 8 | 5% |
| Mile 190–195 | 7 | 4% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 100% 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 Pennsylvania
- US Route 30 200
- Interstate 80 151
- US Route 11 144
- US Route 22 136
- US Route 1 134
- Interstate 76 123
- State Route 611 112
- US Route 422 111
- Interstate 95 102
- US Route 322 101
- US Route 6 98
- US Route 13 85
All routes and counties in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania?
169 fatal crashes with 214 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 Interstate 81 had the most fatal crashes?
Cumberland County (37), Franklin County (25), Lackawanna County (20), Luzerne County (20) and Dauphin County (19).
What share of crashes on Interstate 81 involved alcohol or speeding?
16.6% had a driver reported as drinking and 43.2% a speeding-related driver, against 25.4% and 40.2% for all fatal crashes in Pennsylvania.
When do fatal crashes happen on Interstate 81?
46.7% 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.