States › South Carolina › Routes › US Route 78
US Route 78
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 65Deaths 73Counties 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.
US Route 78 in South Carolina was the trafficway in 65 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 73 people died.
That is 0.7% of the 9,692 fatal crashes in South Carolina over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 48% from 44 in 2005–2014 to 65 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Charleston County (26), Dorchester County (19) and Aiken County (11) and 3 other counties.
26.2% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (South Carolina: 32.2%) and 36.9% had a speeding-related driver (40.2%); pedestrians were 13.7% and motorcyclists 21.9% 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 | US Route 78 | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 65 | 9,692 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 73 | 10,473 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.7% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +48% | +15% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-78 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston County | 26 | 40% | 634 |
| 2 | Dorchester County | 19 | 29% | 226 |
| 3 | Aiken County | 11 | 17% | 303 |
| 4 | Barnwell County | 5 | 8% | 41 |
| 5 | Bamberg County | 3 | 5% | 32 |
| 6 | Anderson County | 1 | 2% | 414 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 78 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 | 12 | 18% |
| Mile 25–30 | 11 | 17% |
| Mile 20–25 | 6 | 9% |
| Mile 5–10 | 5 | 8% |
| Mile 15–20 | 4 | 6% |
| Mile 30–35 | 4 | 6% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 67.7% 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 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 US Route 78 in South Carolina?
65 fatal crashes with 73 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 78 had the most fatal crashes?
Charleston County (26), Dorchester County (19), Aiken County (11), Barnwell County (5) and Bamberg County (3).
What share of crashes on US Route 78 involved alcohol or speeding?
26.2% had a driver reported as drinking and 36.9% a speeding-related driver, against 32.2% and 40.2% for all fatal crashes in South Carolina.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 78?
53.8% 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.