I-85 in Virginia: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 57 fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia killed 60 people, the 23rd most of 347 numbered roads in Virginia. In 2024 there were 8 fatal crashes and 9 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 4 counties of Virginia. All fatal crashes in Virginia. I-85 in every state.
Deaths on I-85 in Virginia by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 9 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 |
| 2021 | 5 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2019 | 6 | 6 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 |
| 2016 | 7 | 7 |
| 2015 | 8 | 9 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-85 in Virginia: the counties with the most fatal crashes
Dinwiddie County had the most fatal crashes on I-85 from 2015 to 2024: 27, with 29 deaths. Dinwiddie, Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties together held 88% of fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia from 2015 to 2024. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinwiddie County | 4 | 27 | 29 |
| 2 | Mecklenburg County | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| 3 | Brunswick County | 2 | 10 | 11 |
| 4 | Petersburg city | 1 | 7 | 7 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-85 in Virginia
57 fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia from 2015 to 2024 have a known time, too few for any one weekday and time of day to stand out. The worst hour is 10 am to 11 am; the worst month is July.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 7.0 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Mon | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 7.0 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Fri | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Sat | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 7.0 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crash | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan8.8%
- Feb1.8%
- Mar7.0%
- Apr5.3%
- May7.0%
- Jun8.8%
- Jul17.5%
- Aug7.0%
- Sep8.8%
- Oct10.5%
- Nov3.5%
- Dec14.0%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-85 in Virginia
8.2 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 69 miles of I-85 in Virginia, against 9.7 for all interstates in Virginia. That ranks 3 of 5 interstates in Virginia and 85 of 172 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia first hit
The first harmful event was a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in most fatal crashes, 65%; a collision with another vehicle in 21%, a rollover in 8.8%, a pedestrian in 1.8%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 37 | 65% |
| Collision with another vehicle | 12 | 21% |
| Rollover | 5 | 8.8% |
| Pedestrian | 1 | 1.8% |
| Parked vehicle | 1 | 1.8% |
| Other | 1 | 1.8% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia compare with the state
The largest difference from Virginia: from 2015 to 2024, 0.0% of fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia were at or near an intersection, against 23% across Virginia. Also above the Virginia share: rural roads and unlit roads at night. Below it: drinking drivers, motorcycles and pedestrians. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Virginia. A share is only given over 20 crashes; above or below means more than chance would give on 57 crashes.
| I-85 | Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 77% | 55% | above the Virginia share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.0% | 23% | below the Virginia share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 47% | 31% | above the Virginia share |
| A drinking driver | 16% | 29% | below the Virginia share |
| Speeding | 19% | 29% | about the same as the Virginia share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 7.0% | 11% | about the same as the Virginia share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 62% | 55% | about the same as the Virginia share |
| Hit-and-run | 3.5% | 4.1% | about the same as the Virginia share |
| A motorcycle involved | 1.8% | 13% | below the Virginia share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 3.3% | 14% | below the Virginia share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes on I-85 in Virginia
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-85 in Virginia?
- 57 fatal crashes killed 60 people on I-85 in Virginia from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 8 fatal crashes and 9 deaths. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Where on I-85 in Virginia do the most fatal crashes happen?
- Dinwiddie County had the most fatal crashes on I-85 from 2015 to 2024: 27, with 29 deaths. Mecklenburg County was second with 13.
- How dangerous is I-85 in Virginia per mile?
- 8.2 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 69 miles of road, against 9.7 for all interstates in Virginia. That ranks 3 of 5 interstates in Virginia and 85 of 172 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in Virginia with a page
All fatal crashes in Virginia, with every road ranked.
Where the I-85 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-85 in Virginia. Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. Where two routes share a road, NHTSA files each crash under one of them, so a shared stretch counts on one route only. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. Totals in state and news reports for a road usually differ: they include ramps and frontage roads, or count from preliminary reports. The full method.