South Carolina Crash Hot Spots: The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Where South Carolina Traffic Deaths Happen

South Carolina lost 946 people on its roads in 2025, according to preliminary figures SCDOT and the Department of Public Safety released in March 2026. That’s down 21% from 1,198 deaths in 2021. Even so, the federal data for 2024 shows where the problem sits: the biggest share of deaths happens on major highways that aren’t interstates, and nearly half happen on rural roads. Interstates, the roads people tend to fear most, accounted for about one death in nine.

By county, Spartanburg had the most deaths in 2025 with 73, ahead of Horry with 62 and Charleston with 61, in SCDPS’s preliminary count through December 28. NHTSA also found South Carolina had the highest alcohol-impaired fatality rate per mile driven of any state in 2024. The state’s new 2025 to 2029 Strategic Highway Safety Plan and its “Be That Driver” campaign go after speeding, impaired driving, distraction and seat belt use, alongside SCDOT’s rural road safety program, which targets high-risk corridors based on crash data.

A Closer Look at South Carolina’s Problem Corridors

Here are the corridors and intersections that keep coming up, checked against SCDOT, SCDPS, city plans and local reporting, with figures wherever they’ve been published.

1. I-20 and I-26 Interchange (“Malfunction Junction”): Columbia

Anyone who drives through Columbia knows the name. I-20 and I-26 cross northwest of downtown, with I-126 branching off nearby, and an estimated 134,000 people drive through the corridor every day, according to SC Daily Gazette. Short weaves and traffic stacking back from the exits make sideswipes and rear-enders routine.

SCDOT’s Carolina Crossroads project is rebuilding the whole thing. As of August 2026 it was in the third of five phases, replacing the I-20 bridges over the Saluda River, with new I-26 bridges next, with the full interchange overhaul and widening to four lanes still ahead. The price is now $2.7 billion and completion is expected in 2034, so expect shifting lanes for years.

2. I-26 Through the Harbison Area: Irmo to I-20

Between Irmo and Malfunction Junction, I-26 feeds the Harbison Boulevard shopping district around Columbiana Centre, then exits at Piney Grove Road and St. Andrews Road. The exits come close together, and drivers jockeying for them mix with through traffic.

The side roads take a beating too. WIS reported in March 2026 that state data showed 110 crashes since 2020 on the two-mile stretch of Fernandina Road, which runs near the interstate, between Piney Grove and St. Andrews, with 44 injuries and one death. SCDOT says the road will be rebuilt as part of Carolina Crossroads.

3. U.S. 17 Bypass at S.C. 544 and S.C. 707: Murrells Inlet to Myrtle Beach

The U.S. 17 Bypass is the Grand Strand’s main street, and in summer it’s full of drivers who don’t know where they’re turning. Where S.C. 544 (Dick Pond Road) meets the bypass near Surfside Beach, The Sun News found 240 collisions from 2018 to 2020 using SCDPS data, the most of any intersection in Horry County.

S.C. 707 runs inland of the bypass from Murrells Inlet through Socastee to the old Air Force base “back gate” in Myrtle Beach, where U.S. 17 now crosses over it on a bridge. Both ends see heavy turning traffic. Horry County had 62 traffic deaths in SCDPS’s preliminary 2025 count through December 28, second only to Spartanburg.

4. U.S. 17 at S.C. 22 and S.C. 9: Briarcliffe Acres to Little River

S.C. 22, the Conway Bypass or Veterans Highway, ends at U.S. 17 near Briarcliffe Acres, between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. Drivers coming in from Conway leave a fast four-lane highway and land straight in beach traffic.

Farther north, S.C. 9 crosses U.S. 17 in North Myrtle Beach and heads inland. Near Little River, its intersection with S.C. 57 tied for the most injuries and deaths in Horry County, 73, from 2018 to 2020, according to the same Sun News analysis.

5. U.S. 17 Through the Charleston Area: West Ashley to Mount Pleasant

U.S. 17 carries traffic from West Ashley across the peninsula on the Crosstown, over the Ravenel Bridge and through Mount Pleasant, where S.C. 41 splits off north across the Wando River into Berkeley County. Turning traffic at shopping centers leads to angle crashes and rear-enders.

It’s also one of the area’s most dangerous roads to walk. A Post and Courier analysis in 2024 found that U.S. 17, Rivers Avenue, Dorchester Road, Ashley Phosphate Road and Remount Road accounted for more than half of the pedestrians killed in Charleston County. All five are state roads.

6. I-85 and I-385 Interchange: Greenville

I-85 is the Upstate’s spine, linking Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg, and I-385 meets it southeast of downtown Greenville. SCDOT finished rebuilding the interchange in its 85/385 Gateway project in 2020, but Greenville’s own crash data points to the retail corridors just off I-385, Laurens Road and Woodruff Road.

The city’s high injury network includes Woodruff Road, Laurens Road, North Pleasantburg Drive and Wade Hampton Boulevard. City leaders told WSPA in December 2024 those streets had more than 600 crashes and nearly two dozen deaths over the previous five years. Up the road, Spartanburg County, where I-85 crosses I-26, led the state in traffic deaths in SCDPS’s preliminary 2025 count. Heading southwest toward Georgia, our Anderson car accident guide covers I-85 and the roads around Anderson.

7. Sunset Boulevard (U.S. 378) at Corley Mill Road: Lexington

In Lexington, Sunset Boulevard is U.S. 378 itself, not U.S. 1, which is a separate road. Sunset is the gateway into town from I-20, and the Post and Courier reported in May 2025 that its Corley Mill Road intersection sees upwards of 50,000 cars a day.

That same report counted 88 crashes from January 2022 through December 2024 where Sunset meets Corley Mill Road and Ginny Lane. The town’s $36 million “Sunset Split” would separate eastbound and westbound traffic and relocate Corley Mill Road. In May 2025, the town expected construction to start around January 2027, pending SCDOT approval.

8. S.C. 160: Fort Mill to Indian Land

S.C. 160 cuts across the booming Charlotte suburbs, from the North Carolina line past Tega Cay, crossing I-77 and U.S. 21 in Fort Mill, then into Lancaster County, where it ends at U.S. 521 in Indian Land. Two of its busiest intersections are U.S. 21 in Fort Mill and U.S. 521 in Indian Land.

Traffic here has grown faster than the roads, so expect long lines at signals, rushed left turns and rear-end crashes when Charlotte commuters all leave at once. York County had 35 traffic deaths in SCDPS’s preliminary 2025 count through December 28.

More High-Crash Locations Across South Carolina

The interstates and beach highways aren’t the whole picture. City safety plans, SCDOT audits and local news analyses have put numbers on specific streets in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. These are the ones with published figures.

Some of these are getting work. SCDOT’s Dorchester Road project covers the 4.7 miles from Kent Avenue to Michaux Parkway, aiming to cut the number and severity of crashes, and in 2024 the agency planned to start construction in 2026 and spend about 18 months on it. Columbia’s Sharing the Road plan has unfunded conceptual designs for Two Notch Road, Farrow Road and the Beltline Boulevard and Two Notch intersection.

How to Stay Safe on South Carolina’s Most Dangerous Roads

You can’t avoid I-26 or the U.S. 17 Bypass forever, but you can drive them like you know what’s coming.

For Drivers:

1. Slow down on the big highways: More South Carolina deaths happen on major highways like U.S. 17, U.S. 378 and Two Notch Road than on interstates. Driveways and turn lanes come up fast, so leave room.
2. Never drive impaired: NHTSA found South Carolina had the highest alcohol-impaired fatality rate of any state in 2024. Plan a ride before you go out, especially at the beach.
3. Pick your lane early at Malfunction Junction: Know your exit before you reach the I-20 and I-26 split, and don’t cut across at the last second.
4. Watch the work zones: Carolina Crossroads will keep lanes shifting around Columbia for years. Slow down, merge early and watch for stopped traffic.
5. Buckle up on rural roads: Nearly half of the state’s deaths in 2024 happened on rural roads, where help can be a long way off.
6. Give tourists space: On the Grand Strand in summer, expect sudden stops and turns near S.C. 544, S.C. 707 and the beach exits.

For Pedestrians:

1. Cross at signals: Wide roads like Rivers Avenue, Dorchester Road and Two Notch Road leave drivers little time to react to someone crossing mid-block.
2. Be visible at night: Wear light colors or carry a light, and assume drivers can’t see you until they stop.
3. Put the phone down: Look up at every crossing, even with the walk signal.

For Cyclists:

1. Use trails where you can: Paths like Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail keep you off busy roads.
2. Light up: Run front and rear lights and wear bright colors, day and night.
3. Watch turning cars: Right-turning drivers often don’t see cyclists. Never assume a driver will yield.

General Tips:

1. Know your route: If you drive I-26, I-85 or the U.S. 17 Bypass every day, build in time for crashes and backups.
2. Check the weather: Summer storms and hurricane season can flood coastal roads quickly, and fog is common on rural highways.
3. Use live traffic: SCDOT’s 511 system or a navigation app will show crashes and closures as they happen.

What to Do If You’re Injured in a South Carolina Car Accident

A wreck on I-26, the U.S. 17 Bypass or Woodruff Road can leave you hurt and rattled. What you do next matters for your health and your claim.

1. Call 911. Get police to the scene even if the damage looks minor. Their crash report is what insurers rely on, and if anyone is badly hurt, ask for an ambulance.
2. Get checked out. Concussions and internal injuries don’t always show up right away. Go to an ER or urgent care, then follow up with your own doctor.
3. Document the scene if it’s safe. Photograph the vehicles, damage, plates, road conditions and traffic signs. Get witnesses’ names and numbers, and swap insurance details with the other driver without admitting fault.
4. Be careful with adjusters. The other driver’s insurer may call quickly. You can decline a recorded statement until you’ve seen your crash report and know your options.
5. Keep everything. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, missed work, and every letter or email from an insurance company.

Who has your report depends on where the crash happened. South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers cover highways and interstates in all 46 counties, crashes inside a city go to the city police department, and outside city limits it’s the county sheriff or the Highway Patrol. Our South Carolina crash report guide explains how to get a copy from each.

Don’t know which agency wrote it up, or would rather not chase it yourself? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.

South Carolina Crash Hot Spot Questions

More South Carolina Crash Guides

City crash guides: Anderson, SC

County accident news: Spartanburg County · Horry County · Greenville County · Richland County · Lexington County · Anderson County · Charleston County · Florence County

Nearby states: North Carolina crash hot spots · Georgia crash hot spots

For the latest, crashes from around the state are posted in South Carolina accident news and our recent accident alerts.