Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in South Dakota
State in United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 146
- Fatal crashes
- 134
- Population
- 927.1K
In 2024, 146 people died in 134 fatal crashes in South Dakota. That was 4.3% more than in 2023 (140) and the most since 2021. The death rate was 15.7 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.5 in the United States. South Dakota had the 42nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 11th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 6% of deaths, and 22% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
15.7
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.4 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
+4%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
140 deaths in 2023, 146 in 2024
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 195 | 160 |
| 1976 | 219 | 185 |
| 1977 | 208 | 179 |
| 1978 | 191 | 165 |
| 1979 | 211 | 169 |
| 1980 | 228 | 188 |
| 1981 | 177 | 162 |
| 1982 | 148 | 129 |
| 1983 | 175 | 147 |
| 1984 | 143 | 132 |
| 1985 | 130 | 109 |
| 1986 | 134 | 118 |
| 1987 | 134 | 107 |
| 1988 | 147 | 127 |
| 1989 | 152 | 134 |
| 1990 | 153 | 139 |
| 1991 | 143 | 130 |
| 1992 | 161 | 141 |
| 1993 | 140 | 118 |
| 1994 | 154 | 141 |
| 1995 | 158 | 140 |
| 1996 | 175 | 142 |
| 1997 | 148 | 128 |
| 1998 | 165 | 149 |
| 1999 | 150 | 136 |
| 2000 | 173 | 150 |
| 2001 | 171 | 154 |
| 2002 | 180 | 159 |
| 2003 | 203 | 173 |
| 2004 | 197 | 166 |
| 2005 | 186 | 158 |
| 2006 | 191 | 172 |
| 2007 | 146 | 130 |
| 2008 | 121 | 109 |
| 2009 | 131 | 112 |
| 2010 | 140 | 124 |
| 2011 | 111 | 101 |
| 2012 | 133 | 118 |
| 2013 | 135 | 121 |
| 2014 | 136 | 125 |
| 2015 | 134 | 116 |
| 2016 | 116 | 103 |
| 2017 | 129 | 111 |
| 2018 | 130 | 110 |
| 2019 | 102 | 88 |
| 2020 | 141 | 132 |
| 2021 | 148 | 131 |
| 2022 | 137 | 121 |
| 2023 | 140 | 128 |
| 2024 | 146 | 134 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 22.9 |
| 2001 | 22.6 |
| 2002 | 23.7 |
| 2003 | 26.6 |
| 2004 | 25.6 |
| 2005 | 24.0 |
| 2006 | 24.4 |
| 2007 | 18.4 |
| 2008 | 15.1 |
| 2009 | 16.2 |
| 2010 | 17.2 |
| 2011 | 13.5 |
| 2012 | 16.0 |
| 2013 | 16.0 |
| 2014 | 16.0 |
| 2015 | 15.7 |
| 2016 | 13.4 |
| 2017 | 14.8 |
| 2018 | 14.8 |
| 2019 | 11.5 |
| 2020 | 15.9 |
| 2021 | 16.5 |
| 2022 | 15.1 |
| 2023 | 15.3 |
| 2024 | 15.8 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
6%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About one-third of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 100 |
| Pedestrians | 9 |
| Motorcyclists | 33 |
| Cyclists | 4 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in South Dakota | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 9 | 6% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists | 33 | 23% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 4 | 3% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 43 | 29% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 33 | 23% | 29% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
22%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
37%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | South Dakota | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 36.6% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 22.4% | 28.1% |
| At night | 35.8% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 30.6% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
36%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 54%
31%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 21 |
| 1am | 18 |
| 2am | 13 |
| 3am | 15 |
| 4am | 10 |
| 5am | 11 |
| 6am | 21 |
| 7am | 26 |
| 8am | 20 |
| 9am | 17 |
| 10am | 42 |
| 11am | 29 |
| 12pm | 34 |
| 1pm | 39 |
| 2pm | 37 |
| 3pm | 30 |
| 4pm | 32 |
| 5pm | 38 |
| 6pm | 40 |
| 7pm | 32 |
| 8pm | 39 |
| 9pm | 30 |
| 10pm | 27 |
| 11pm | 21 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 83 |
| Mon | 70 |
| Tue | 76 |
| Wed | 97 |
| Thu | 79 |
| Fri | 117 |
| Sat | 124 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 24 |
| Feb | 44 |
| Mar | 37 |
| Apr | 50 |
| May | 45 |
| Jun | 52 |
| Jul | 74 |
| Aug | 98 |
| Sep | 65 |
| Oct | 63 |
| Nov | 49 |
| Dec | 45 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 480 |
| Cloudy | 86 |
| Rain | 26 |
| Snow | 20 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 14 |
| Blowing Snow | 8 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 367 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 191 |
| Dark - Lighted | 46 |
| Dusk | 31 |
| Dawn | 9 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-90 E32
- US-1829
- I-90 W29
- SR-4414
- SR-3414
- I-29 N14
- I-29 S13
- SR-3711
- US-21211
- SR-1911
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 229 |
| Pickup trucks | 192 |
| SUVs | 183 |
| Motorcycles | 135 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 129 |
| Other vehicles | 42 |
| Vans | 36 |
| Buses | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado41
- Ford F-15035
- GMC Sierra24
- Dodge Ram24
- Chevrolet Impala20
- Peterbilt 37917
- Ford F-35017
- Ford F-25014
- Chevrolet Malibu14
- Toyota Camry12
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2021 | Eagle Butte, Dewey County | US-212 | 1 |
| Feb 17, 2021 | Minnehaha County | SR-38 | 1 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | Charles Mix County | SR-45 | 4 |
| Feb 11, 2021 | Butte County | US-85 | 1 |
| Feb 9, 2021 | Rapid City, Pennington County | E ST PATRICK ST | 1 |
| Feb 5, 2021 | Brown County | SR-37 | 1 |
| Feb 3, 2021 | Tripp County | SR-44 | 2 |
| Jan 23, 2021 | Shannon County | US-18 | 1 |
| Jan 18, 2021 | Union County | CR-301 ST | 1 |
| Jan 15, 2021 | Codington County | SR-20 | 1 |
| Jan 15, 2021 | Union County | I-29 | 1 |
| Jan 14, 2021 | Buffalo County | SR-47 | 1 |
| Jan 8, 2021 | Lake County | SR-19 | 1 |
| Jan 5, 2021 | Shannon County | CR-BIA 28 | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Rapid City, Pennington County | SR-44 E | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2020 | Pennington County | SR-40 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2020 | Minnehaha County | SR-38 | 1 |
| Dec 23, 2020 | Day County | CR-141ST ST | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Roberts County | CR-459 | 1 |
| Dec 16, 2020 | Turner County | CR-289 | 1 |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Corson County | CR-BIA 4 | 1 |
| Dec 9, 2020 | Aurora County | I-90 E | 1 |
| Dec 5, 2020 | Brookings County | CR-470TH AVE | 1 |
| Nov 25, 2020 | Spink County | SR-20 | 1 |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Rapid City, Pennington County | SR-44 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in South Dakota
Cities
Cities with at least 10 fatal crashes across the loaded years are listed.
Rankings
Get updates for South Dakota
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.