If you live in or drive through the Upstate region of South Carolina, you’re no stranger to traffic backups, detours, and — unfortunately — collisions. The first few months of 2025 have already painted a stark picture of traffic safety in the region, particularly in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties.
As a personal injury attorney, I see firsthand how disruptive a car accident can be to your family, your work situation, and your peace of mind. I make it my mission to fight as hard as possible to help my clients restore balance back to their lives.
One of the ways our South Carolina auto accident team shows our clients that we care is by following our firm’s You-First Policy, our formal guide to how we prioritize people – always – including how we interact with and keep our clients in the loop throughout their cases.
Our mission is also to inform and protect the people of South Carolina. We recently commissioned a Collision Experience Study from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and analyzed the latest crash data to highlight the threats you and your family may face out there on SC roads. I have summarized below what the preliminary first quarter 2025 numbers say about the trends that local drivers should be aware of.
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin commissioned a Collision Experience Study from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety on traffic statistics for the first quarter of 2025 in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Cherokee Counties.
If you are a Greenville-Spartanburg area resident and have been injured by another in any kind of auto wreck, I urge you to give us a call today at 1-866-900-7078 to discuss your case, take advantage of your free case evaluation, and see what you may be owed.
Greenville County: A Fast Start to a Dangerous Year
Greenville has experienced consistently high traffic crash volumes in the early part of 2025. The month of January saw the most crashes so far, totaling 1,190. In terms of fatalities, March was the deadliest, with five lives lost on Greenville roads.
Injuries have also been prevalent, with hundreds reported every month. These crashes aren’t just numbers — they represent the lives of people affected, medical bills incurred, and time lost from work and family.
Spartanburg County: Fewer, But More Deadly, Crashes
While Spartanburg County has logged fewer overall crashes than Greenville in 2025, it leads the state in traffic fatalities and had six more deaths than Greenville in the first quarter of the year. Even though the highest number of crashes occurred in January, Spartanburg experienced the highest number of fatalities (seven) across both counties in March.
When and Where Are Crashes Happening?
To get a broader picture of when and where crashes are happening in South Carolina, we reviewed preliminary 2024 and 2025 traffic accident data for three SC counties: Greenville, Spartanburg, and Cherokee.
This data revealed that the deadliest accidents occurred on Sunday, whereas the most total and injury-involved collisions happened on Friday (followed closely by Thursday and Wednesday). Time of day also played a role, with the most collisions occurring from 3:00-6:00 PM and the highest number of deadly ones taking place from 6:00-9:00 PM.
In addition to I-85, the following trouble spots appeared repeatedly in the Study:
- In Greenville County: White Horse Road, Woodruff Road, and Pleasantburg Drive
- In Spartanburg County: Main Street, Asheville Highway, and Boiling Springs Road
- In Cherokee County: Chesnee Highway, W. Floyd Naker Blvd, and Old Georgia Highway
What’s Causing These Accidents on South Carolina Roads?
While the data doesn’t include every driver behavior, several contributing factors are often at play:
- Distracted driving, especially from mobile device use, continues to rise.
- Speeding and aggressive lane changes are common on multi-lane highways like I-85 and I-385.
- Weather conditions, particularly in early spring and late fall, may contribute to increased risk.
- Driver fatigue, often underestimated, likely plays a role in the high crash rates on Thursdays and Fridays.
How to Protect Yourself on SC Roads
The best way to help protect yourself and your loved ones is to understand these trends, drive defensively, and hold bad drivers accountable:
- Plan routes to avoid peak crash times, especially during weekday evenings, if possible.
- Drive defensively, especially on known hotspot roads and highways.
- Leave extra space between you and other vehicles.
- Don’t rush — many collision types (for example, rear-end, angle) stem from inattention or following too closely.
- Stay focused, especially on roads known for frequent accidents.
We’re Here to Help Auto Accident Victims in South Carolina
At the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, our South Carolina injury attorneys have helped thousands of South Carolinians fight for maximum compensation – and we’re here to help you, too.
If you’ve been wrecked or hurt by another through no fault of your own in Greenville, Spartanburg, or anywhere across South Carolina, you don’t have to tackle this alone.
Since our firm began, we’ve recovered billions in total compensation for tens of thousands of people. What’s your case really worth? Call us today at 1-866-900-7078 for your free case evaluation.
