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1987

South Carolina in 1987

Deaths 1,086Fatal crashes 968Per 100,000 —US deaths 46,390

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. Final FARS file for 1987.

In 1987, 1,086 people died in 968 fatal crashes in South Carolina.

The death toll was about level between 1986 (1,059) and 1987 (1,086).

South Carolina accounted for 2.3% of the 46,390 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

36.2% of the state's fatal crashes that year had at least one driver reported as drinking.

34% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Saturday was the most common day.

← 198619871988 →All years

Compared with 1986 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 1987	South Carolina 1986	United States 1987
Deaths	1,086	1,059	46,390
Fatal crashes	968	944	41,438
Deaths per 100,000 residents	—	—	—
Crashes with a drinking driver	36%	39%	42%

Counties in 1987

Every county with a fatal crash in 1987, by deaths. Counts under three are shown as "1–2" (small-count rule); the per-100,000 column is blank for them. 46 counties listed.

County	Fatal crashes	Deaths	Per 100,000	Deaths 2015–2024
Greenville County	82	88	15.4	831
Richland County	65	70	16.3	585
Charleston County	56	59	13.7	682
Anderson County	48	56	25.8	435
Horry County	53	55	13.3	714
Spartanburg County	49	53	14.4	672
York County	40	44	14.5	338
Lexington County	34	38	12.1	501
Florence County	33	38	27.5	349
Aiken County	32	33	18.4	321
Sumter County	25	31	29.6	234
Georgetown County	25	28	42.4	150
Orangeburg County	24	27	32.5	387
Williamsburg County	18	26	87.1	114
Oconee County	20	25	30.3	142
Berkeley County	23	24	9.1	410
Darlington County	22	23	36.8	213
Colleton County	18	23	58.6	215
Dorchester County	19	21	12.0	245
Dillon County	17	21	76.2	112
Cherokee County	14	21	36.4	160
Jasper County	17	19	53.3	178
Marion County	16	19	67.0	101
Pickens County	17	18	13.0	203
Chesterfield County	17	17	38.2	118
Beaufort County	16	17	8.4	225
Laurens County	14	17	24.1	238
Lancaster County	15	16	14.3	167
Kershaw County	14	15	20.9	167
Clarendon County	11	14	45.1	146
Greenwood County	13	13	18.6	124
Fairfield County	11	13	63.8	113
Chester County	10	11	34.0	135
Union County	10	11	41.2	71
Marlboro County	9	10	39.2	103
Abbeville County	8	9	36.6	48
Newberry County	8	9	23.0	95
Saluda County	6	9	46.3	42
Edgefield County	8	8	27.2	52
Calhoun County	7	8	56.1	67
Hampton County	6	7	38.5	64
Bamberg County	5	6	46.6	35
Barnwell County	5	5	24.4	47
McCormick County	1–2	5	50.1	32
Lee County	3	3	18.8	64
Allendale County	1–2	1–2	—	28

Per 100,000 uses the 2024 population estimate for every year, so early-year rates are understated where a county has grown.

Hour of day

12am3.7%

1am6.3%

2am4.8%

3am3.2%

4am2.3%

5am2.6%

6am2.4%

7am4.3%

8am2.6%

9am1.9%

10am2.2%

11am3.5%

12pm2.7%

1pm3.1%

2pm4.3%

3pm4.2%

4pm6.1%

5pm5.6%

6pm6.7%

7pm4.7%

8pm5.4%

9pm4.7%

10pm6%

11pm6.7%

Weekday

Sunday16%

Monday10%

Tuesday10%

Wednesday11%

Thursday12%

Friday17%

Saturday23%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 1987?

1,086 people in 968 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 1987 file.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 1987?

Greenville County with 88 deaths in 82 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 1987 compare with 1986 in South Carolina?

1,086 deaths against 1,059 in 1986 (+3%). Nationally the 1987 total was 46,390.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 1987 national file (accident table); US Census Bureau population estimates (no county estimates before 2000 are used, so no rate is shown for this year). Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.