Interstate 81 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania
FARS records 169 fatal crashes with 214 deaths on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2024.
In 2024 it records 17 fatal crashes with 20 deaths on the route.
By fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, Interstate 81 was number 2 of the 94 routes of Pennsylvania with a page.
Fatal crashes on Interstate 81 rose by 7.0% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (158) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (169).
In Pennsylvania they fell by 14.0% between the same years.
From 2015 to 2024, motorcyclists were 6.5% of the deaths on Interstate 81 and 17.3% in Pennsylvania.
To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on .
This page rests on the FARS 2024 annual file. NHTSA released it on . NHTSA can revise the counts in the final file. Release dates
Table 1 has the numbers. Go to the table
Since the last update: no figure of this route has a change on record.
Fatal crashes by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 17 | 20 |
| 2023 | 14 | 20 |
| 2022 | 13 | 19 |
| 2021 | 21 | 23 |
| 2020 | 15 | 19 |
| 2019 | 17 | 18 |
| 2018 | 17 | 18 |
| 2017 | 17 | 21 |
| 2016 | 24 | 35 |
| 2015 | 14 | 21 |
| 2014 | 17 | 21 |
| 2013 | 18 | 22 |
| 2012 | 15 | 16 |
| 2011 | 23 | 24 |
| 2010 | 5 | 5 |
| 2009 | 14 | 18 |
| 2008 | 18 | 18 |
| 2007 | 16 | 16 |
| 2006 | 16 | 17 |
| 2005 | 16 | 17 |
| 2004 | 12 | 14 |
| 2003 | 20 | 27 |
| 2002 | 25 | 29 |
| 2001 | 24 | 24 |
| 2000 | 16 | 21 |
Note: the route is the trafficway that FARS records for the crash. The records of routes start in 2000. A count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2".
Counties on the route
| County | On the route | On all roads of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | 1 or 2 | 73 |
| Cumberland County | 37 | 189 |
| Dauphin County | 19 | 272 |
| Franklin County | 25 | 183 |
| Lackawanna County | 20 | 185 |
| Lebanon County | 19 | 175 |
| Luzerne County | 20 | 295 |
| Schuylkill County | 16 | 190 |
| Susquehanna County | 12 | 90 |
Note: the table has the counties where FARS records a fatal crash on the route in these years.
Factors that NHTSA records
| Factor | Count | Counted among | Share | Share on all roads of Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A driver recorded as drinkingof 169 fatal crashes | 28 | 169 fatal crashes | 25.4% | |
| A speeding-related driverof 169 fatal crashes | 73 | 169 fatal crashes | 40.2% | |
| Pedestriansof 214 deaths | 19 | 214 deaths | 14.3% | |
| Motorcyclistsof 214 deaths | 14 | 214 deaths | 17.3% |
Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. One crash can be in two rows. NHTSA's definitions
Note that alcohol data is often missing. For that reason, this data element may under-count the actual number of drinking drivers.
Time of day
| Time of day | Fatal crashes | Share | Share on all roads of Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 6 a.m. | 42 | 24.9% | 18.0% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 33 | 19.5% | 19.5% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 57 | 33.7% | 32.3% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 37 | 21.9% | 30.2% |
Note: the table has the fatal crashes with a known hour.
Mile ranges
| Milepoint | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Mile 0 to 5 | 10 |
| Mile 15 to 20 | 10 |
| Mile 60 to 65 | 8 |
| Mile 65 to 70 | 9 |
| Mile 85 to 90 | 9 |
| Mile 190 to 195 | 7 |
Note: the table has the six ranges of five miles with the largest counts, in the order of the milepoint. 100 percent of the fatal crashes on the route have a milepoint in FARS. A state can start its milepoints again at a county line.
Routes in the same counties
These routes of Pennsylvania have a fatal crash on record in one or more of the same counties. The list is for navigation. The number is the fatal crashes on the route from 2015 to 2024.
Official channels
- NHTSA Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)NHTSA's query tool for FARS counts.
- NHTSA FARS EncyclopediaNHTSA's tables of FARS data.
- Pennsylvania Department of TransportationThe highway safety office of Pennsylvania.
These links go to the sites of the agencies. They were checked on .
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. Interstate 81 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania. https://fatalroads.com/route/pa/i-81/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to .
The address of this page does not change.
Source of the figures
Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national files of 2000 to 2024. A route page is built for a signed Interstate, US or state route with 20 or more fatal crashes in a state in ten years. Data to . The figures are totals. No page of this site is about one crash or one person.
How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.
Questions
How many fatal crashes did FARS record on Interstate 81 in the ten years before 2015?
FARS records 158 fatal crashes on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2014. It records 169 from 2015 to 2024.
What part of the fatal crashes in Pennsylvania was on Interstate 81?
169 of the 10,864 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2024 were on Interstate 81. That is 1.6 percent.
How many fatal crashes on Interstate 81 had a driver recorded as drinking?
FARS records a driver as drinking in 28 of 169 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 73 of them.
Does this page count the same route number in a different state?
No. This page counts the fatal crashes that FARS records on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania only. The route in a different state has its own page.