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Interstate 81
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 241Deaths 272Counties 17Latest 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 Virginia was the trafficway in 241 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 272 people died.
That is 3% of the 8,138 fatal crashes in Virginia over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 26% from 192 in 2005–2014 to 241 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Augusta County (29), Wythe County (26) and Roanoke County (21) and 14 other counties.
17.4% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Virginia: 29.4%) and 17.8% had a speeding-related driver (28.8%); pedestrians were 8.1% and motorcyclists 6.6% 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 Virginia
| Measure | Interstate 81 | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 241 | 8,138 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 272 | 8,664 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 3% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +26% | +7% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on I-81 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Augusta County | 29 | 12% | 146 |
| 2 | Wythe County | 26 | 11% | 72 |
| 3 | Roanoke County | 21 | 9% | 76 |
| 4 | Frederick County | 20 | 8% | 113 |
| 5 | Montgomery County | 20 | 8% | 81 |
| 6 | Shenandoah County | 20 | 8% | 63 |
| 7 | Botetourt County | 19 | 8% | 64 |
| 8 | Rockbridge County | 18 | 7% | 64 |
| 9 | Washington County | 17 | 7% | 83 |
| 10 | Smyth County | 15 | 6% | 50 |
| 11 | Rockingham County | 13 | 5% | 117 |
| 12 | Pulaski County | 9 | 4% | 43 |
| 13 | Harrisonburg city | 7 | 3% | 25 |
| 14 | Bristol city | 4 | 2% | 7 |
| 15 | Dinwiddie County | 1 | 0% | 89 |
| 16 | Mecklenburg County | 1 | 0% | 90 |
| 17 | Warren County | 1 | 0% | 42 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on Interstate 81 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Virginia share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 130–135 | 11 | 5% |
| Mile 250–255 | 9 | 4% |
| Mile 205–210 | 8 | 3% |
| Mile 70–75 | 7 | 3% |
| Mile 220–225 | 7 | 3% |
| Mile 245–250 | 7 | 3% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 96.3% 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 Virginia
- Interstate 95 290
- Interstate 64 277
- US Route 58 259
- US Route 460 242
- US Route 1 203
- US Route 29 193
- US Route 17 164
- US Route 360 141
- US Route 60 138
- US Route 11 136
- US Route 13 108
- US Route 220 92
All routes and counties in Virginia
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on Interstate 81 in Virginia?
241 fatal crashes with 272 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?
Augusta County (29), Wythe County (26), Roanoke County (21), Frederick County (20) and Montgomery County (20).
What share of crashes on Interstate 81 involved alcohol or speeding?
17.4% had a driver reported as drinking and 17.8% a speeding-related driver, against 29.4% and 28.8% for all fatal crashes in Virginia.
When do fatal crashes happen on Interstate 81?
48.5% 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.