The deadliest roads in South Dakota
I-90 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in South Dakota from 2015 to 2024: 107, with 122 deaths. The 34 roads listed held 55% of all fatal crashes in South Dakota from 2015 to 2024; 3 are interstates, 12 US routes, 19 state highways.
64 numbered roads in South Dakota recorded a fatal crash in those years; the 34 with 5 or more are ranked below, and 4 have a page of their own. All fatal crashes in South Dakota.
Every numbered road in South Dakota, ranked by fatal crashes
| Road | Kind | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | Counties with the most | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-90 | Interstate | 107 | 122 | 42 | Pennington, Minnehaha, Meade |
| 2 | US 18 | US route | 53 | 65 | 19 | 113, Fall River, Lincoln |
| 3 | I-29 | Interstate | 49 | 51 | 17 | Union, Minnehaha, Lincoln |
| 4 | US 14 | US route | 34 | 37 | 15 | Lawrence, Brookings, Beadle |
| 5 | US 212 | US route | 29 | 31 | 5 | Codington, Dewey, Butte |
| 6 | State Highway 44 | State highway | 27 | 33 | 7 | Pennington, Hutchinson, Jackson |
| 7 | US 12 | US route | 26 | 32 | 6 | Edmunds, Corson, Brown |
| 8 | State Highway 34 | State highway | 24 | 28 | 9 | Meade, Haakon, Lawrence |
| 9 | US 16 | US route | 24 | 25 | 6 | Pennington, Custer |
| 10 | State Highway 37 | State highway | 20 | 25 | 8 | Hutchinson, Brown, Bon Homme |
| 11 | State Highway 79 | State highway | 19 | 21 | 5 | Meade, Custer, Pennington |
| 12 | State Highway 50 | State highway | 17 | 26 | 5 | Yankton, Bon Homme, Clay |
| 13 | US 14A | US route | 17 | 18 | 0 | Lawrence, Brookings |
| 14 | US 385 | US route | 16 | 17 | 5 | Pennington, Lawrence, Custer |
| 15 | State Highway 42 | State highway | 15 | 19 | 5 | Minnehaha, McCook, Hanson |
| 16 | US 81 | US route | 15 | 19 | 3 | Yankton, Hamlin, Hutchinson |
| 17 | US 85 | US route | 15 | 15 | 3 | Lawrence, Harding, Butte |
| 18 | State Highway 20 | State highway | 13 | 14 | 6 | Codington, Spink, Grant |
| 19 | State Highway 19 | State highway | 12 | 12 | 3 | Turner, Clay, Minnehaha |
| 20 | State Highway 46 | State highway | 11 | 15 | 8 | Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Union |
| 21 | US 281 | US route | 11 | 12 | 4 | Spink, Beadle, Brown |
| 22 | State Highway 63 | State highway | 10 | 11 | 3 | Corson, Mellette, Jackson |
| 23 | I-229 | Interstate | 9 | 12 | 1 | Minnehaha, Lincoln |
| 24 | State Highway 11 | State highway | 9 | 9 | 5 | Minnehaha, Lincoln, Union |
| 25 | State Highway 47 | State highway | 8 | 10 | 1 | Walworth, Lyman, Buffalo |
| 26 | State Highway 38 | State highway | 7 | 9 | 2 | Minnehaha, McCook |
| 27 | US 16A | US route | 7 | 8 | 0 | Custer, Pennington |
| 28 | US 83 | US route | 7 | 7 | 1 | Campbell, Sully, Jones |
| 29 | State Highway 10 | State highway | 6 | 8 | 1 | Roberts, McPherson, Brown |
| 30 | State Highway 40 | State highway | 6 | 8 | 0 | Custer, Pennington, Jackson |
| 31 | State Highway 115 | State highway | 5 | 7 | 1 | Lincoln, Minnehaha |
| 32 | State Highway 25 | State highway | 5 | 6 | 2 | Miner, Bon Homme, Marshall |
| 33 | State Highway 1804 | State highway | 5 | 5 | 1 | Sully, Campbell, Hughes |
| 34 | State Highway 248 | State highway | 5 | 5 | 3 | Jones, Lyman, Jackson |
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 South Dakota as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/deadliest-roads/south-dakota/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”
Interstates in South Dakota per mile
Fatal crashes a year per 100 miles of road, 2015 to 2024, for interstates with 20 miles or more in South Dakota. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle. Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log.
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 South Dakota
- What is the deadliest road in South Dakota?
- I-90 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in South Dakota from 2015 to 2024: 107, with 122 deaths. US 18 was second with 53 and I-29 third with 49. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which interstate in South Dakota is the most dangerous per mile?
- I-90, with 2.6 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024 on 413 miles. That is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
- How many fatal crashes in South Dakota happen on numbered roads?
- 692 of 1,174 fatal crashes in South Dakota from 2015 to 2024 (59%) 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota, 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.