Fatalities on I-95 in SC are outpacing projections, new report shows. Here’s what to know

The 199 miles of Interstate 95 has the third highest fatality rate per mile traveled in the nation as accidents continue to grow, a new report says.

Called The I-95 Effect, the Florida-based Schiller Kessler Group looked at statistics from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and found fatalities on that stretch are outpacing 2024 projections, with a 6% rise in deadly crashes year-over-year.

The study found truck-related crashes increased 25% since 2019 and fatal collisions increased across nearly every major county along the corridor.

There were 1,162 traffic fatalities in 2023 compared to 1,110 in 2022 the previous year. Freight traffic increased 19% since 2020, averaging 9,000–11,000 trucks per day, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Meanwhile, emergency response delays contribute to 17% higher post-crash mortality, according to a 2022 University of South Carolina study.

The report shows it is one of the highest fatality densities per interstate mile nationwide due to increased truck traffic and a lag in infrastructure improvements.

The highway has been a focus for the South Carolina Transportation Department with 17 projects in the planning stage.

Construction funding has increased from $1 billion in 2009 to $6.2 billion in 2024, the department said as part of a 10-year plan to bring all the state’s interstates to good repair.

The department also has a project called Momentum 2050, which focuses on future needs.

Most recently, work started on a 10-mile section in Jasper County to improve the interchanges and bridges, including a new bridge over the Savannah River. The Georgia Department of Transportation is working with South Carolina on this project, which will be completed by 2030.

Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell called it a significant milestone and the largest project in agency history.

“This long-awaited project is the embodiment of the goals of our interstate program that looks to improve the capacity and efficiency for the people of South Carolina and its visitors,” he said.

The 2021 Transportation Department feasibility study said the corridor ranks among the worst of the rural interstates in freight mobility.

The Schiller Kessler study showed truck-involved crashes were up 8% statewide, nighttime fatal crashes account for 61% of all I-95 deaths — the highest share in the Southeast — and freight flow has expanded by 11% since January, driven by port growth and tourism traffic to coastal regions.

This comes as emergency response delays remain longest in rural I-95 counties, where average on-scene times exceed 20 minutes, the law firm said.

Statewide, traffic fatalities in South Carolina fell 14% from 2021 to 2023, and the fatality per 100 million vehicle miles dropped 18%, Shiller Kessler said, citing The Road Information Program, a non-profit that researches road related issues nationwide.

The organization said fatal and serious crashes cost South Carolina an estimated $30.9 billion in 2023.

“Rural geometry, limited lighting, and stretched highway patrol coverage compound the issue,” Shiller Kessler said. “South Carolina’s I-95 per-mile fatality rate is now 0.23 deaths per mile annually, nearly double the national interstate average (0.11).”

The law firm referenced a 13-vehicle pile up earlier this year in Colleton County that included six semi-trucks or other commercial vehicles. Two people were killed and around 10 were hospitalized.

There was also a three-vehicle collision in the same area. No fatalities but one person was transported to the hospital.