4 Points Back. “South Carolina Pedestrian Safety Statistics.” 4pointsback.com. Last updated July 23, 2026. https://4pointsback.com/south-carolina-driving-statistics/pedestrian-safety/
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South Carolina is the 4th-most dangerous state in the nation for pedestrians, with nearly 900 pedestrian deaths from 2020–2024 — and 87% of the state’s fatal pedestrian crashes involve nighttime conditions.
These South Carolina pedestrian safety statistics cover the state’s national ranking, nighttime risk data, contributing factors, and a specific look at the Charleston and Columbia metro areas — both of which rank among the nation’s most dangerous metros for pedestrians.
Quick Facts
- South Carolina’s own Strategic Highway Safety Plan ranked the state 3rd nationally in pedestrian fatality rate per capita for 2023 (NHTSA FARS); more recent 2024 data shows the state at 4th, behind New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arizona.
- 87% of South Carolina’s fatal pedestrian crashes involve nighttime conditions, per SCDOT and SCDPS’s official Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
- South Carolina averaged 184 fatal and 205 serious-injury pedestrian crashes per year from 2019 to 2023. More than 18% of all fatal crashes statewide involve a pedestrian.
- The state’s projected pedestrian fatality rate for 2024 was 1.44 per 100,000 people — down from 1.63 in 2023, but still nearly 50% higher than the national rate of 0.97.
- The Charleston and Columbia metro areas both rank in the top 15 of the nation’s 101 largest metros for pedestrian danger, per Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report.
- Pedestrian crashes in South Carolina peak on Saturdays and in December — both patterns tied to reduced daylight hours and increased evening foot traffic.
South Carolina’s National Ranking Over Time
| Data Year | SC National Rank | Pedestrian Fatality Rate (per 100,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3rd | 1.63 |
| 2024 | 4th | 1.44 |
Source: South Carolina Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2025–2029) Pedestrians Factsheet, citing NHTSA FARS 2023 data; 2024 ranking and rate per The Hartman Law Firm’s analysis of GHSA preliminary 2024 data, corroborated by Post and Courier reporting (June 2026). South Carolina’s rate remains significantly higher than the national rate of 0.97 despite the improvement.
South Carolina’s Most Dangerous Cities and Metro Areas for Pedestrians
Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report ranks the 101 largest U.S. metro areas by pedestrian fatality rate. Its June 2026 edition — the most current available — puts three South Carolina metro areas in the national top 30, though “these places did not get safer,” the report notes; “other metro areas simply got far worse.”
#4: Myrtle Beach
Not large enough to crack the ranked top-101 metro list, but repeatedly flagged as a regional hot spot — Myrtle Beach Police have publicly addressed pedestrian safety concerns following the June 2026 statewide report, and the Grand Strand has been named among South Carolina’s highest-fatality corridors going back to a 2007–2021 Post and Courier analysis.
#5: North Charleston (City-Level Spotlight)
Within the Charleston metro, North Charleston’s own police department reports real year-by-year numbers: 7 pedestrian deaths in 2022, 9 in 2023, and a 50% year-over-year increase in the first three months of 2024 alone — prompting the department to push for more crosswalks.
What Contributes to Pedestrian Crashes in South Carolina
| Contributing Factor | Share of Pedestrian Fatal/Serious Injury Crashes |
|---|---|
| Driver-related error | 19.1% |
| Intersections | 18.5% |
| Speeding | 14.6% |
| Older drivers | 9.9% |
Source: South Carolina Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2025–2029) Pedestrians Factsheet, SCDOT/SCDPS.
Pedestrian crashes in South Carolina are also strongly seasonal and day-of-week dependent: December sees the highest share of pedestrian crashes statewide, followed by October and November — a pattern that lines up directly with shorter daylight hours. Saturdays see the most pedestrian crashes of any day of the week, with 346 recorded between 2019 and 2023.
Defensive driving habits protect pedestrians too. If you have points on your South Carolina license, eligible drivers can remove up to four with our state-approved point reduction course.
A Note on Our South Carolina Pedestrian Safety Methodology
Statewide pedestrian crash statistics, the 87% nighttime figure, and the contributing-factors breakdown are sourced directly from SCDOT and SCDPS’s official Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2025–2029) Pedestrians Factsheet — the state’s own primary planning document, not a third-party estimate. The 2023 national ranking (3rd) comes from that same document, citing NHTSA FARS data. The 2024 ranking (4th) and rate reflect more recent preliminary GHSA data, corroborated by South Carolina news reporting; we’ve shown both years rather than only the most favorable or most current figure, since the trend itself is informative. Metro-area data (Charleston, Columbia, Memphis) comes from Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report, which uses a distinct methodology (5-year rolling averages across the 101 largest U.S. metro areas) from the statewide NHTSA figures above — the two aren’t directly interchangeable, but both are cited to their original source.
Drivers can prevent most pedestrian crashes by scanning ahead and managing speed. Our online defensive driving course in SC is taught live and covers both.