Murrells Inlet, SC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Murrells Inlet: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Murrells Inlet and Horry County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Horry County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Horry County compares with South Carolina
Horry County against South Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Horry County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Horry County | South Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 30.4 | 61.6 | 49.7 | 51% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.72 | 0.64 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.0% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.1% | 0.4% | 6.2% | 68% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.0% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.5% | 11.4% | 13.8% | 25% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.2% | 40.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.8% | 21.5% | 24.8% | 26% below the state |
Horry County has lower values than South Carolina for crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Horry County: 1 in 25 crashes involve a garbage truck (55 since 2015), vs 2.1% across South Carolina.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,455 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Horry County. They injured 1,042 people and killed 62.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Murrells Inlet since 2015; patterns below come from Horry County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is September at 6.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.2% of truck crashes, vs 40.5% for South Carolina.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 8.2% of truck crashes.
0.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.4% across South Carolina.
Where crashes happen
US-17 leads within 10 miles of Murrells Inlet with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-707 (3), SR-616 (1) and US-701 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
55 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.8% share (South Carolina: 2.1%).
Their busiest month is February, with 15% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 9.1, vs 4.5 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Murrells Inlet fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Horry County.
- Check whether your routes use US-17, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 26.0% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above South Carolina; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Horry County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-17 | 5 |
| SR-707 | 3 |
| SR-616 | 1 |
| US-701 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Horry County) |
|---|---|
| US-501 | 23 |
| US-701 | 22 |
| US-17 | 17 |
| Carolina Forest Blvd | 13 |
| SR-90 | 13 |
| Sc 90 | 12 |
| US-378 | 12 |
| Robert Grissom Pkwy | 10 |
Murrells Inlet at a glance
| Land area | 7.3 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 29576) | $70,691 |
| Median home value (ZIP 29576) | $339,442 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Horry County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 122 | — | 4.2 |
| 2000s | 96 | -21% | 4.0 |
| 2010s | 106 | +10% | 3.4 |
| 2020s | 124 | +17% | 6.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 122 to 124. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 5.0 a year in 2016–19, 6.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Murrells Inlet
How many truck accidents are there in Murrells Inlet?
Since 2015, 1,455 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Horry County (1,042 injured, 62 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Murrells Inlet?
NHTSA data shows US-17 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Murrells Inlet since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Murrells Inlet?
Truck crashes in Horry County peak in March, with 10.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Murrells Inlet?
55 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Horry County since 2015, 3.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Murrells Inlet compared with South Carolina?
The yearly rate is 30.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Horry County, vs 61.6 for South Carolina.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Murrells Inlet?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.