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1997

South Carolina in 1997

Deaths 903Fatal crashes 798Per 100,000 —US deaths 42,013

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 1997.

In 1997, 903 people died in 798 fatal crashes in South Carolina.

The death toll was about level between 1996 (930) and 1997 (903).

South Carolina accounted for 2.1% of the 42,013 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

32.6% 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.

← 199619971998 →All years

Compared with 1996 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 1997	South Carolina 1996	United States 1997
Deaths	903	930	42,013
Fatal crashes	798	821	37,324
Deaths per 100,000 residents	—	—	—
Crashes with a drinking driver	33%	41%	30%

Counties in 1997

Every county with a fatal crash in 1997, 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	78	84	14.7	831
Spartanburg County	53	58	15.7	672
Horry County	45	51	12.3	714
Florence County	36	43	31.1	349
Richland County	34	43	10.0	585
Berkeley County	40	40	15.1	410
Charleston County	37	40	9.3	682
Lexington County	33	38	12.1	501
Anderson County	31	34	15.7	435
Orangeburg County	23	26	31.3	387
Williamsburg County	22	26	87.1	114
Sumter County	22	25	23.9	234
Georgetown County	22	24	36.3	150
Jasper County	16	24	67.4	178
Aiken County	20	22	12.3	321
Darlington County	19	21	33.6	213
Beaufort County	19	20	9.9	225
York County	18	19	6.3	338
Chesterfield County	15	16	36.0	118
Pickens County	15	16	11.6	203
Dorchester County	13	16	9.2	245
Colleton County	14	15	38.2	215
Lancaster County	12	15	13.4	167
Dillon County	11	15	54.4	112
Greenwood County	13	13	18.6	124
Clarendon County	11	13	41.9	146
Cherokee County	10	12	20.8	160
Laurens County	10	12	17.0	238
Oconee County	10	11	13.3	142
Newberry County	9	11	28.1	95
Kershaw County	8	10	13.9	167
Union County	8	9	33.7	71
Lee County	7	9	56.4	64
Marlboro County	8	8	31.4	103
Chester County	7	8	24.8	135
Barnwell County	7	7	34.2	47
Abbeville County	6	7	28.4	48
Bamberg County	4	7	54.4	35
Allendale County	6	6	79.5	28
Edgefield County	5	5	17.0	52
Fairfield County	5	5	24.5	113
McCormick County	5	5	50.1	32
Marion County	4	5	17.6	101
Saluda County	4	5	25.7	42
Calhoun County	1–2	3	21.1	67
Hampton County	1–2	1–2	—	64

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

12am6%

1am4.3%

2am5%

3am3.3%

4am2.5%

5am1.9%

6am3.9%

7am3.6%

8am3.1%

9am3%

10am2.4%

11am4.3%

12pm3.3%

1pm3.6%

2pm3.8%

3pm3.5%

4pm4.8%

5pm4.5%

6pm6.8%

7pm3.8%

8pm5.8%

9pm6.9%

10pm6.8%

11pm3.3%

Weekday

Sunday15%

Monday12%

Tuesday13%

Wednesday13%

Thursday13%

Friday15%

Saturday19%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 1997?

903 people in 798 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 1997 file.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 1997?

Greenville County with 84 deaths in 78 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 1997 compare with 1996 in South Carolina?

903 deaths against 930 in 1996 (+-3%). Nationally the 1997 total was 42,013.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 1997 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.