States › West Virginia › Routes › US Route 52
US Route 52
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 46Deaths 48Counties 5Latest 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.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 46 fatal crashes on US Route 52 in West Virginia, with 48 deaths.
That is 1.8% of the 2,517 fatal crashes in West Virginia over the same years. The ten-year crash count fell 47% from 87 in 2005–2014 to 46 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Wayne County (20), McDowell County (9) and Mingo County (8) and 2 other counties.
28.3% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (West Virginia: 27.2%) and 23.9% had a speeding-related driver (26.7%); pedestrians were 6.3% and motorcyclists 12.5% 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 West Virginia
| Measure | US Route 52 | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 46 | 2,517 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 48 | 2,726 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.8% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -47% | -22% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-52 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne County | 20 | 43% | 77 |
| 2 | McDowell County | 9 | 20% | 43 |
| 3 | Mingo County | 8 | 17% | 38 |
| 4 | Mercer County | 5 | 11% | 90 |
| 5 | Wyoming County | 4 | 9% | 29 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 52 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the West Virginia share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 25–30 | 8 | 17% |
| Mile 0–5 | 7 | 15% |
| Mile 5–10 | 7 | 15% |
| Mile 15–20 | 5 | 11% |
| Mile 35–40 | 5 | 11% |
| Mile 10–15 | 3 | 7% |
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 West Virginia
- US Route 60 99
- Interstate 77 94
- Interstate 79 92
- US Route 50 87
- US Route 119 87
- Interstate 64 78
- State Route 2 77
- US Route 19 75
- State Route 16 57
- US Route 33 57
- State Route 10 49
- US Route 219 45
All routes and counties in West Virginia
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 52 in West Virginia?
46 fatal crashes with 48 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 52 had the most fatal crashes?
Wayne County (20), McDowell County (9), Mingo County (8), Mercer County (5) and Wyoming County (4).
What share of crashes on US Route 52 involved alcohol or speeding?
28.3% had a driver reported as drinking and 23.9% a speeding-related driver, against 27.2% and 26.7% for all fatal crashes in West Virginia.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 52?
30.4% 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.