How many people die on South Dakota roads?
In 2024, NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recorded 134 fatal crashes in South Dakota, in which 146 people died. Over the whole period the file covers, 1975 to 2024, it records 7,816 deaths.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) exported 2026-09-11
Fatal crashes in South Dakota by year
Fatal crashes in South Dakota1975–2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)All 50 years as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 134 | 146 |
| 2023 | 128 | 140 |
| 2022 | 121 | 137 |
| 2021 | 131 | 148 |
| 2020 | 132 | 141 |
| 2019 | 88 | 102 |
| 2018 | 110 | 130 |
| 2017 | 111 | 129 |
| 2016 | 103 | 116 |
| 2015 | 116 | 134 |
| 2014 | 125 | 136 |
| 2013 | 121 | 135 |
| 2012 | 118 | 133 |
| 2011 | 101 | 111 |
| 2010 | 124 | 140 |
| 2009 | 112 | 131 |
| 2008 | 109 | 121 |
| 2007 | 130 | 146 |
| 2006 | 172 | 191 |
| 2005 | 158 | 186 |
| 2004 | 166 | 197 |
| 2003 | 173 | 203 |
| 2002 | 159 | 180 |
| 2001 | 154 | 171 |
| 2000 | 150 | 173 |
| 1999 | 136 | 150 |
| 1998 | 149 | 165 |
| 1997 | 128 | 148 |
| 1996 | 142 | 175 |
| 1995 | 140 | 158 |
| 1994 | 141 | 154 |
| 1993 | 118 | 140 |
| 1992 | 141 | 161 |
| 1991 | 130 | 143 |
| 1990 | 139 | 153 |
| 1989 | 134 | 152 |
| 1988 | 127 | 147 |
| 1987 | 107 | 134 |
| 1986 | 118 | 134 |
| 1985 | 109 | 130 |
| 1984 | 132 | 143 |
| 1983 | 147 | 175 |
| 1982 | 129 | 148 |
| 1981 | 162 | 177 |
| 1980 | 188 | 228 |
| 1979 | 169 | 211 |
| 1978 | 165 | 191 |
| 1977 | 179 | 208 |
| 1976 | 185 | 219 |
| 1975 | 160 | 195 |
1975 opened at 160 fatal crashes and 2024 closed at 134. A year the source holds no rows for is left blank rather than drawn through.
The counties with the most
South Dakota counties with the most fatal crashes2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)Counted over the whole period the export covers. A county with more road on it records more crashes; this is not a safety ranking.
| County | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha 46099 | 14 | 16 |
| Pennington 46103 | 11 | 12 |
| Lawrence 46081 | 10 | 11 |
| Charles Mix 46023 | 8 | 8 |
| Lincoln 46083 | 7 | 8 |
| Meade 46093 | 7 | 7 |
| Codington 46029 | 5 | 5 |
| McCook 46087 | 5 | 6 |
| Beadle 46005 | 4 | 4 |
| Fall River 46047 | 4 | 5 |
| Lyman 46085 | 4 | 5 |
| Yankton 46135 | 4 | 4 |
| Buffalo 46017 | 3 | 4 |
| Butte 46019 | 3 | 3 |
| Deuel 46039 | 3 | 3 |
Which roads carry the deaths
Fatal crashes by road class2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)Share is of the crashes this source assigned a road class to, not of every crash in the state.
| Road class | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Signed | 52 | 56 | 39% |
| State Highway | 33 | 39 | 25% |
| U.S. Highway | 23 | 24 | 17% |
| Interstate | 21 | 22 | 16% |
| Bureau of Indian Affairs | 4 | 4 | 3% |
| Parkway Marker or Forest Route Marker [Specify:] | 1 | 1 | 1% |
Where these numbers come from
These figures come from NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). They are exported into this repository by export_fars_state.py, reviewed, and committed, so the page is static and the
number on it cannot change between a reader loading it and citing it.
The export covers 1975 to 2024 and was generated on 2026-09-11. Every year in that span carries rows.
Counties are keyed by FIPS code rather than by name, because a county name is not unique across the country and thirty states have a Washington County. The code is printed beside each name so a row can be joined to any other federal file.
You are welcome to quote these figures. Please cite NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) as the source, which is where they come from, and link this page if the compilation was useful.
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