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2009

South Carolina in 2009

Deaths 894Fatal crashes 817Per 100,000 19.5US deaths 33,883

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 2009.

In 2009, 894 people died in 817 fatal crashes in South Carolina, 19.5 deaths per 100,000 residents against 11.0 nationally.

The death toll was about level between 2008 (921) and 2009 (894).

South Carolina accounted for 2.6% of the 33,883 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

42.7% of the state's fatal crashes that year had at least one driver reported as drinking.

36% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Saturday was the most common day.

← 200820092010 →All years

Compared with 2008 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 2009	South Carolina 2008	United States 2009
Deaths	894	921	33,883
Fatal crashes	817	841	30,862
Deaths per 100,000 residents	19.5	20.3	11.0
Crashes with a drinking driver	43%	43%	33%

Counties in 2009

Every county with a fatal crash in 2009, 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
Horry County	60	64	15.5	714
Greenville County	51	54	9.5	831
Charleston County	44	50	11.6	682
Richland County	40	42	9.8	585
Berkeley County	38	42	15.9	410
Orangeburg County	29	41	49.3	387
Lexington County	34	38	12.1	501
Anderson County	35	36	16.6	435
Spartanburg County	30	34	9.2	672
Aiken County	28	33	18.4	321
Florence County	29	30	21.7	349
York County	23	27	8.9	338
Sumter County	23	24	22.9	234
Pickens County	20	22	15.9	203
Laurens County	21	21	29.8	238
Clarendon County	18	21	67.7	146
Darlington County	17	21	33.6	213
Dorchester County	20	20	11.5	245
Kershaw County	18	18	25.1	167
Georgetown County	17	18	27.3	150
Lancaster County	17	18	16.1	167
Colleton County	17	17	43.3	215
Lee County	14	16	100.3	64
Jasper County	12	15	42.1	178
Chester County	14	14	43.3	135
Beaufort County	13	13	6.4	225
Chesterfield County	12	12	27.0	118
Greenwood County	12	12	17.1	124
Marion County	12	12	42.3	101
Williamsburg County	10	12	40.2	114
Cherokee County	11	11	19.0	160
Oconee County	11	11	13.3	142
Marlboro County	8	11	43.1	103
Fairfield County	7	8	39.3	113
Barnwell County	7	7	34.2	47
Calhoun County	6	7	49.1	67
Dillon County	6	7	25.4	112
Union County	5	6	22.5	71
Hampton County	5	5	27.5	64
Newberry County	5	5	12.8	95
McCormick County	3	4	40.1	32
Abbeville County	3	3	12.2	48
Allendale County	3	3	39.7	28
Bamberg County	3	3	23.3	35
Edgefield County	3	3	10.2	52
Saluda County	3	3	15.4	42

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

12am4.4%

1am4.5%

2am4.4%

3am4.7%

4am2.9%

5am2.8%

6am2.6%

7am2.3%

8am2.1%

9am2.9%

10am2.2%

11am3.8%

12pm3.2%

1pm3.4%

2pm4.9%

3pm4.3%

4pm4.3%

5pm4.5%

6pm6.9%

7pm5.6%

8pm7.2%

9pm6.4%

10pm4.7%

11pm5%

Weekday

Sunday18%

Monday12%

Tuesday10%

Wednesday12%

Thursday13%

Friday14%

Saturday21%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 2009?

894 people in 817 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 2009 file, or 19.5 per 100,000 residents.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 2009?

Horry County with 64 deaths in 60 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 2009 compare with 2008 in South Carolina?

894 deaths against 921 in 2008 (+-3%). Nationally the 2009 total was 33,883.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2009 national file (accident table); US Census Bureau population estimates. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.