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1989

South Carolina in 1989

Deaths 996Fatal crashes 895Per 100,000 —US deaths 45,582

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 1989.

In 1989, 996 people died in 895 fatal crashes in South Carolina.

The death toll was about level between 1988 (1,031) and 1989 (996).

South Carolina accounted for 2.2% of the 45,582 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

29.4% of the state's fatal crashes that year had at least one driver reported as drinking.

33% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Saturday was the most common day.

← 198819891990 →All years

Compared with 1988 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 1989	South Carolina 1988	United States 1989
Deaths	996	1,031	45,582
Fatal crashes	895	908	40,741
Deaths per 100,000 residents	—	—	—
Crashes with a drinking driver	29%	25%	39%

Counties in 1989

Every county with a fatal crash in 1989, 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	79	86	15.1	831
Spartanburg County	52	58	15.7	672
Richland County	44	50	11.6	585
Charleston County	43	46	10.7	682
Orangeburg County	37	43	51.7	387
Horry County	41	42	10.2	714
Darlington County	36	42	67.3	213
Anderson County	37	38	17.5	435
Aiken County	30	35	19.5	321
York County	29	32	10.6	338
Lexington County	28	32	10.2	501
Florence County	28	30	21.7	349
Sumter County	24	30	28.6	234
Lancaster County	25	27	24.2	167
Berkeley County	26	26	9.8	410
Williamsburg County	23	26	87.1	114
Pickens County	22	24	17.4	203
Dillon County	17	24	87.0	112
Dorchester County	21	22	12.6	245
Clarendon County	14	19	61.2	146
Bamberg County	16	18	139.9	35
Beaufort County	16	18	8.9	225
Cherokee County	15	18	31.2	160
Chesterfield County	15	18	40.5	118
Oconee County	15	17	20.6	142
Chester County	16	16	49.5	135
Kershaw County	14	14	19.5	167
Jasper County	13	14	39.3	178
Georgetown County	13	13	19.7	150
Marlboro County	8	13	51.0	103
Colleton County	11	11	28.0	215
Greenwood County	9	10	14.3	124
Laurens County	9	10	14.2	238
Lee County	8	9	56.4	64
Abbeville County	8	8	32.5	48
Marion County	8	8	28.2	101
Fairfield County	7	7	34.4	113
Hampton County	6	7	38.5	64
Edgefield County	4	7	23.8	52
Union County	6	6	22.5	71
Allendale County	4	4	53.0	28
Calhoun County	4	4	28.1	67
Saluda County	4	4	20.6	42
Barnwell County	3	3	14.6	47
Newberry County	3	3	7.7	95
McCormick County	1–2	1–2	—	32

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

12am5.1%

1am3.9%

2am3.7%

3am2.3%

4am1.8%

5am2.8%

6am4.8%

7am2.6%

8am2.5%

9am1.8%

10am2.5%

11am3.5%

12pm3.6%

1pm3%

2pm4.7%

3pm5.9%

4pm5.4%

5pm6.8%

6pm6.3%

7pm5.6%

8pm5.6%

9pm6%

10pm4.5%

11pm5.5%

Weekday

Sunday15%

Monday11%

Tuesday10%

Wednesday10%

Thursday13%

Friday18%

Saturday23%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 1989?

996 people in 895 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 1989 file.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 1989?

Greenville County with 86 deaths in 79 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 1989 compare with 1988 in South Carolina?

996 deaths against 1,031 in 1988 (+-3%). Nationally the 1989 total was 45,582.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 1989 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.