Warning: The Deadliest County Roads in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota
It's a disturbing trend on America's highways and roads - more and more people are dying behind the wheel.
According to Stacker, the most recent numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System show that traffic fatalities rose more than seven percent in 2020 to nearly 39,000 across the country.
That was the highest number of deaths since 2007.
In the Tri-State Area, two counties are among the 100 deadliest in America, based on fatalities per 100,000 people.
The Deadliest county roadways in Iowa:
With more than 80 deaths per 100,000 people (#40 nationally, 6 deaths), Iowa's Adair County (West of Des Moines along I-80) is the 40th most deadly county in the U.S.
The Deadliest county roadways in South Dakota:
The other area county in the top 100 is South Dakota's Turner County (Southwest of Sioux Falls) with nearly 70 deaths per 100,000 people (#64 nationally, 6 deaths). That's 64th overall.
The Deadliest county roadways in Minnesota:
Cass County, Minnesota (in the North Central part of the state) 23.4 fatalities per 100,000 people, (#635 nationally, 7 deaths).
IOWA (Number of motor vehicle crash fatalities)
- Adair County (County Seat: Greenfield) - 80.7 per 100K people
- Madison County (County Seat: Winterset) - 36.6 per 100K people
- Iowa County (County Seat: Marengo) - 36.2 per 100K people
- Hardin County (County Seat: Eldora) - 35.3 per 100K people
- Plymouth County (County Seat: Le Mars) - 35.2 per 100K people
MINNESOTA (Number of motor vehicle crash fatalities per 100,000 people)
- Cass County (County Seat: Walker) - 23.4 per 100K people
- Wabasha County (County Seat: Lake City) - 23.3 per 100K people
- Becker County (County Seat: Detroit Lakes) - 22.9 per 100K people
- Isanti County (County Seat: Cambridge) - 19.7 per 100K people
- Itasca County (County Seat: Grand Rapids) - 17.8 per 100K people
SOUTH DAKOTA (Number of motor vehicle crash fatalities)
- Turner County (County Seat: Parker) - 69.6 per 100K people
- Lawrence County (County Seat: Deadwood) - 46.7 per 100K people
- Codington County (County Seat: Watertown) - 17.7 per 100K people
- Minnehaha County (County Seat: Sioux Falls) - 11.8 per 100K people
- Pennington County (County Seat: Rapid City) - 10.1 per 100K people