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South Carolina · state highway
State Route 53
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 32Deaths 37Counties 14Latest 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.
State Route 53 in South Carolina was the trafficway in 32 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 37 people died.
That is 0.3% of the 9,692 fatal crashes in South Carolina over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 146% from 13 in 2005–2014 to 32 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Sumter County (10), Charleston County (4) and Laurens County (3) and 11 other counties.
34.4% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (South Carolina: 32.2%) and 40.6% had a speeding-related driver (40.2%); pedestrians were 13.5% and motorcyclists 10.8% 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 South Carolina
| Measure | State Route 53 | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 32 | 9,692 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 37 | 10,473 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.3% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +146% | +15% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on SR-53 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sumter County | 10 | 31% | 229 |
| 2 | Charleston County | 4 | 13% | 634 |
| 3 | Laurens County | 3 | 9% | 210 |
| 4 | Anderson County | 2 | 6% | 414 |
| 5 | Clarendon County | 2 | 6% | 137 |
| 6 | Florence County | 2 | 6% | 315 |
| 7 | Kershaw County | 2 | 6% | 152 |
| 8 | Barnwell County | 1 | 3% | 41 |
| 9 | Colleton County | 1 | 3% | 194 |
| 10 | Darlington County | 1 | 3% | 194 |
| 11 | Edgefield County | 1 | 3% | 50 |
| 12 | Marlboro County | 1 | 3% | 94 |
| 13 | Richland County | 1 | 3% | 553 |
| 14 | Union County | 1 | 3% | 62 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on State Route 53 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the South Carolina share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 14 | 44% |
| Mile 5–10 | 6 | 19% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 62.5% 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 South Carolina
- US Route 17 439
- Interstate 26 298
- Interstate 95 228
- US Route 76 204
- US Route 52 179
- US Route 25 170
- Interstate 20 162
- US Route 21 154
- State Route 9 150
- Interstate 85 142
- Interstate 77 139
- US Route 29 135
All routes and counties in South Carolina
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on State Route 53 in South Carolina?
32 fatal crashes with 37 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 State Route 53 had the most fatal crashes?
Sumter County (10), Charleston County (4), Laurens County (3), Anderson County (2) and Clarendon County (2).
What share of crashes on State Route 53 involved alcohol or speeding?
34.4% had a driver reported as drinking and 40.6% a speeding-related driver, against 32.2% and 40.2% for all fatal crashes in South Carolina.
When do fatal crashes happen on State Route 53?
50.0% 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.