The deadliest roads in North Carolina
I-40 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024: 338, with 377 deaths. Over 2022 to 2024 alone, US 70 had the most, 113 against 110 on I-40. The 60 roads listed held 39% of all fatal crashes in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024; 8 are interstates, 27 US routes, 25 state highways.
540 numbered roads in North Carolina recorded a fatal crash in those years; the 60 with 5 or more are ranked below, and 43 have a page of their own. All fatal crashes in North Carolina.
Every numbered road in North Carolina, ranked by fatal crashes
| Road | Kind | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | Counties with the most | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-40 | Interstate | 338 | 377 | 110 | Guilford, Wake, Buncombe |
| 2 | I-85 | Interstate | 309 | 337 | 106 | Mecklenburg, Davidson, Gaston |
| 3 | US 70 | US route | 296 | 311 | 113 | Johnston, Wake, Carteret |
| 4 | US 64 | US route | 269 | 291 | 75 | Nash, Wake, Randolph |
| 5 | US 74 | US route | 225 | 244 | 74 | Union, Columbus, Mecklenburg |
| 6 | US 421 | US route | 194 | 218 | 65 | New Hanover, Harnett, Wilkes |
| 7 | I-95 | Interstate | 189 | 221 | 73 | Johnston, Robeson, Halifax |
| 8 | US 401 | US route | 169 | 186 | 51 | Wake, Cumberland, Hoke |
| 9 | US 17 | US route | 167 | 183 | 58 | Brunswick, Onslow, Craven |
| 10 | State Highway 24 | State highway | 157 | 165 | 53 | Mecklenburg, Carteret, Cumberland |
| 11 | US 29 | US route | 143 | 154 | 55 | Mecklenburg, Guilford, Rowan |
| 12 | US 158 | US route | 138 | 158 | 39 | Currituck, Forsyth, Dare |
| 13 | I-77 | Interstate | 128 | 138 | 40 | Mecklenburg, Iredell, Yadkin |
| 14 | State Highway 87 | State highway | 120 | 128 | 43 | Alamance, Cumberland, Bladen |
| 15 | US 1 | US route | 118 | 131 | 47 | Wake, Moore, Lee |
| 16 | I-485 | Interstate | 97 | 109 | 39 | Mecklenburg |
| 17 | State Highway 150 | State highway | 90 | 93 | 26 | Davidson, Forsyth, Iredell |
| 18 | US 321 | US route | 88 | 92 | 33 | Caldwell, Gaston, Lincoln |
| 19 | US 19 | US route | 87 | 97 | 32 | Buncombe, Haywood, Cherokee |
| 20 | State Highway 55 | State highway | 86 | 98 | 26 | Wayne, Sampson, Craven |
| 21 | State Highway 11 | State highway | 85 | 96 | 28 | Lenoir, Pitt, Duplin |
| 22 | US 301 | US route | 85 | 93 | 29 | Cumberland, Wilson, Johnston |
| 23 | US 52 | US route | 82 | 91 | 25 | Forsyth, Surry, Stanly |
| 24 | US 13 | US route | 76 | 92 | 25 | Pitt, Wayne, Sampson |
| 25 | State Highway 16 | State highway | 73 | 77 | 27 | Mecklenburg, Alexander, Catawba |
| 26 | US 264 | US route | 72 | 83 | 21 | Pitt, Beaufort, Nash |
| 27 | State Highway 49 | State highway | 70 | 72 | 25 | Mecklenburg, Alamance, Randolph |
| 28 | State Highway 210 | State highway | 68 | 75 | 26 | Cumberland, Harnett, Pender |
| 29 | State Highway 211 | State highway | 65 | 77 | 17 | Hoke, Robeson, Brunswick |
| 30 | US 258 | US route | 64 | 69 | 17 | Onslow, Lenoir, Pitt |
| 31 | US 15 | US route | 62 | 70 | 21 | Moore, Granville, Chatham |
| 32 | US 117 | US route | 60 | 65 | 20 | Pender, New Hanover, Duplin |
| 33 | State Highway 27 | State highway | 57 | 67 | 20 | Mecklenburg, Harnett, Lincoln |
| 34 | US 601 | US route | 57 | 65 | 21 | Union, Rowan, Cabarrus |
| 35 | State Highway 42 | State highway | 57 | 60 | 13 | Johnston, Wilson, Lee |
| 36 | US 501 | US route | 55 | 63 | 18 | Durham, Person, Scotland |
| 37 | US 701 | US route | 54 | 65 | 10 | Bladen, Columbus, Sampson |
| 38 | US 25 | US route | 54 | 56 | 22 | Buncombe, Henderson, Madison |
| 39 | I-73 | Interstate | 52 | 55 | 17 | Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph |
| 40 | US 23 | US route | 51 | 56 | 15 | Jackson, Haywood, Macon |
| 41 | State Highway 109 | State highway | 47 | 56 | 12 | Davidson, Montgomery, Forsyth |
| 42 | State Highway 130 | State highway | 45 | 51 | 16 | Robeson, Brunswick, Columbus |
| 43 | State Highway 41 | State highway | 44 | 48 | 16 | Robeson, Duplin, Bladen |
| 44 | State Highway 43 | State highway | 44 | 48 | 14 | Pitt, Nash, Craven |
| 45 | State Highway 903 | State highway | 40 | 47 | 16 | Lenoir, Duplin, Greene |
| 46 | US 221 | US route | 40 | 47 | 15 | McDowell, Ashe, Rutherford |
| 47 | US 220 | US route | 38 | 41 | 17 | Rockingham, Richmond, Guilford |
| 48 | State Highway 18 | State highway | 38 | 40 | 13 | Wilkes, Cleveland, Burke |
| 49 | I-26 | Interstate | 38 | 39 | 11 | Buncombe, Henderson, Polk |
| 50 | State Highway 73 | State highway | 37 | 38 | 13 | Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Lincoln |
| 51 | State Highway 39 | State highway | 35 | 38 | 8 | Vance, Franklin, Johnston |
| 52 | State Highway 111 | State highway | 33 | 39 | 8 | Wayne, Edgecombe, Duplin |
| 53 | State Highway 33 | State highway | 33 | 38 | 10 | Pitt, Beaufort, Edgecombe |
| 54 | State Highway 50 | State highway | 33 | 35 | 10 | Johnston, Wake, Pender |
| 55 | US 21 | US route | 32 | 36 | 8 | Iredell, Mecklenburg, Alleghany |
| 56 | State Highway 58 | State highway | 31 | 34 | 10 | Wilson, Nash, Greene |
| 57 | State Highway 71 | State highway | 30 | 31 | 9 | Robeson, Scotland |
| 58 | I-74 | Interstate | 29 | 31 | 7 | Robeson, Guilford, Surry |
| 59 | State Highway 97 | State highway | 29 | 31 | 8 | Nash, Edgecombe, Wake |
| 60 | US 311 | US route | 29 | 31 | 6 | Forsyth, Randolph, Stokes |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Download every numbered road in North Carolina as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/deadliest-roads/north-carolina/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”
Interstates in North Carolina per mile
Fatal crashes a year per 100 miles of road, 2015 to 2024, for interstates with 20 miles or more in North Carolina. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle. Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log.
| Road | Per 100 miles a year | Fatal crashes | Miles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-85 | 15.1 | 309 | 204 |
| 2 | I-77 | 12.1 | 128 | 105 |
| 3 | I-95 | 10.4 | 189 | 181 |
| 4 | I-40 | 8.0 | 338 | 420 |
| 5 | I-73 | 4.3 | 52 | 122 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about the deadliest roads in North Carolina
- What is the deadliest road in North Carolina?
- I-40 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024: 338, with 377 deaths. I-85 was second with 309 and US 70 third with 296. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which interstate in North Carolina is the most dangerous per mile?
- I-85, with 15.1 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024 on 204 miles. That is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
- How many fatal crashes in North Carolina happen on numbered roads?
- 7,360 of 14,061 fatal crashes in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024 (52%) were filed on an interstate, US or state route; the rest were on county roads, city streets and unnamed roads, which are in the state's total but not ranked here.
Where the North Carolina road numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash filed on a numbered interstate, US or state route in North Carolina, read from the road name NHTSA filed, with ramps, frontage and service roads left out. A road gets its own page with 15 or more fatal crashes from 2022 to 2024. The full method.