The most dangerous places to drive in the Columbia SC area are these 13 sections of roads

Driving around Columbia on any given day can be a hassle at the best of times.

From potholes and careless motorists to seemingly endless road construction, it’s almost a wonder so many people get to where they want to go on time every day. And then there’s the danger factor.

The Columbia metro area is no stranger to vehicle crashes. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, the Columbia metro area has many thousands of vehicle crashes every year.

And while the places where crashes occur every year are numerous, the S.C. DPS has identified 13 spots that are consistently the worst. These 1-mile stretches of roads are where traffic collisions involving death and/or injury frequently occur — accounting for more than 300 collisions each year.

Below is a list of the most dangerous traffic corridors in the Columbia area, followed by the times each week when they’re statistically the most hazardous.

Columbia high crash rate corridors

1. Zimalcrest Drive
2. Broad River Road from St. Andrews Parkway to GameStop at 1725 Broad River Road
3. Richland I-26 West from overpass of I-20 to Saluda River
4. I-20 East from I-26 overpass to American Inn at 1337 Garner Lane
5. I-20 East from Broad River to Sunbelt Rentals at 104 Sunbelt Blvd.
6. I-20 West from Fairfield Road overpass to Two Notch Road
7. Two Notch Road from I-20 East overpass to Parklane Road
8. Richland 277 South from Parklane Road to I-77 North
9. I-77 South from Two Notch Road to the Preserve at Windsor Lake
10. I-77 South overpass from Windsor Lake Blvd. to I-20 underpass
11. Two Notch Road from Atrium Way to Greengage Park Road
12. Farrow Road from Providence Health Northeast to Highland Center Drive
13. Hard Scrabble Road from Harold Street to Grinders Mill Road

When Columbia traffic corridors see most crashes

Time of day

• Midnight to 6 a.m.: 32.95%
• 6 a.m. to noon: 28.41%
• 6 p.m. to midnight: 19.89%
• Noon to 6 p.m.: 18.75%

Day of week

• Monday through Thursday: 48.82%
• Friday through Sunday: 51.18%

This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 8:00 AM.

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.