Are Myrtle Beach roads getting safer? SC data reveals how many people died in 2024 crashes

With more than 350,000 Horry County residents and millions more visitors annually, the area sees its share of traffic collisions — some of which are fatal.

Although official collision fatality numbers for 2023 and 2024 from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety haven’t yet been released, preliminary data shows that deaths on Horry County roads dropped for the second consecutive year.

Based on data that hasn’t yet been finalized, in 2024 Horry County saw the fewest traffic collision fatalities in more than 10 years.

The SCDPS releases data about the locations, conditions and consequences of collisions on South Carolina roads in Traffic Collision Fact Books, but the most recent year currently available is 2022.

The data typically take about two years to finalize, and the 2023 Traffic Collision Fact Book won’t be available until this summer, according to department public affairs coordinator Rachel Urconis.

However, preliminary data from the SCDPS indicates that the number of people killed in collisions on Horry County roads decreased for the second year in a row.

Finalized data shows that, in 2022, 80 people died as a result of crashes in Horry County. The preliminary numbers show that number fell to 66 people in 2023 and 58 people in 2024.

The state as a whole appears to follow a similar trend. Collision fatalities on South Carolina roads a dropped for the third year in a row. According to Traffic Collision Fact Books and preliminary SCDPS data, deaths have consistently dropped annually since 2021.