Facts + Statistics: Highway safety

Traffic Deaths, 2014-2023

Year	Fatalities	Annual percent change	Fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled	Fatality rate per 100,000 registered vehicles
2014	32,744	-0.5%	1.08	11.92
2015	35,484	8.4	1.15	12.61
2016	37,806	6.5	1.19	13.13
2017	37,473	-0.9	1.17	12.91
2018	36,835	-1.7	1.14	12.40
2019	36,355	-1.3	1.11	12.15
2020	39,007	7.3	1.34	13.13
2021	43,230	10.8	1.38	14.28
2022	42,514	-1.7	1.30	14.01
2023 (1)	40,990	-3.6	1.26	NA

(1) Estimate.

NA=Data not available.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Motor Vehicle Traffic Deaths by State, 2021-2022

	Number of deaths				Number of deaths
State	2021	2022	Percent change	State	2021	2022	Percent change
Alabama	983	988	1%	Montana	239	213	-11%
Alaska	70	82	17	Nebraska	221	244	10
Arizona	1,192	1,302	9	Nevada	385	416	8
Arkansas	692	643	-7	New Hampshire	118	146	24
California	4,513	4,428	-2	New Jersey	692	685	-1
Colorado	691	764	11	New Mexico	483	466	-4
Connecticut	303	359	18	New York	1,156	1,175	2
Delaware	136	162	19	North Carolina	1,693	1,630	-4
D.C.	41	32	-22	North Dakota	101	98	-3
Florida	3,741	3,530	-6	Ohio	1,354	1,275	-6
Georgia	1,809	1,797	-1	Oklahoma	762	710	-7
Hawaii	94	116	23	Oregon	599	601	0
Idaho	273	215	-21	Pennsylvania	1,230	1,179	-4
Illinois	1,334	1,268	-5	Rhode Island	63	52	-17
Indiana	932	949	2	South Carolina	1,198	1,094	-9
Iowa	356	338	-5	South Dakota	148	137	-7
Kansas	423	410	-3	Tennessee	1,327	1,314	-1
Kentucky	806	744	-8	Texas	4,500	4,408	-2
Louisiana	971	906	-7	Utah	332	319	-4
Maine	153	182	19	Vermont	74	76	3
Maryland	563	564	0	Virginia	973	1,008	4
Massachusetts	413	434	5	Washington	674	733	9
Michigan	1,137	1,124	-1	West Virginia	282	264	-6
Minnesota	488	444	-9	Wisconsin	620	596	-4
Mississippi	766	703	-8	Wyoming	110	134	22
Missouri	1,016	1,057	4	United States	43,230	42,514	-2%

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Drivers In Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes By Age, 2022

	Licensed drivers		Drivers in fatal crashes
Age group	Number	Percent of total drivers	Number	Involvement rate (1)
16 to 20	11,661,426	5.0%	4,856	41.22
21 to 24	14,288,708	6.1	5,279	36.95
25 to 34	40,817,284	17.4	12,611	30.90
35 to 44	40,101,137	17.1	10,344	25.79
45 to 54	37,360,131	15.9	8,619	23.07
55 to 64	39,215,895	16.7	7,899	20.14
65 to 74	31,558,393	13.4	5,053	16.01
Over 74	19,965,210	8.5	3,445	17.26
Total (2)	235,086,153	100.0%	60,048	25.54

(1) Per 100,000 licensed drivers in each age group.
(2) Includes drivers under the age of 15 and of unknown age.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration.

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Driving Behaviors Reported For Drivers And Motorcycle Operators Involved In Fatal Crashes, 2022

Behavior	Number (1)	Percent
Driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted limit or racing	11,103	18.5%
Under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication	6,594	11.0
Operating vehicle in a careless manner	5,319	8.9
Failure to yield right of way	4,432	7.4
Failure to keep in proper lane	3,420	5.7
Distracted (phone, talking, eating, object, etc.)	3,124	5.2
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless or negligent manner	2,251	3.7
Failure to obey traffic signs, signals, or officer	2,541	4.2
Overcorrecting/oversteering	1,708	2.8
Vision obscured (rain, snow, glare, lights, building, trees, etc.)	1,542	2.6
Drowsy, asleep, fatigued, ill, or blacked out	1,264	2.1
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, etc.	1,334	2.2
Driving wrong way on one-way traffic or wrong side of road	1,282	2.1
Making improper turn	485	0.8
Other factors	6,017	10.0
None reported	8,492	14.1
Unknown	20,263	33.7
Total drivers (2)	60,048	100.0%

(1) Number of drivers and motorcycle operators.
(2) The sum of the numbers and percentages is greater than total drivers as more than one factor may be present for the same driver. Beginning in 2022, operators and passengers of motorized bicycles are captured as pedal cyclists when involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Fatal Crashes By First Harmful Event, Type Of Collision, 2021

Type of collision	Number	Percent of total fatal crashes
Collision with moving motor vehicle
Angle	7,183	18.2
Rear end	2,949	7.5
Sideswipe	1,184	3.0
Head on	4,295	10.9
Other/unknown	188	0.5
Total	15,799	40.0%
Collision with fixed object
Pole/post	1,593	4.0
Culvert/curb/ditch	2,838	7.2
Shrubbery/tree	2,714	6.9
Guard rail	1,036	2.6
Embankment	921	2.3
Bridge	237	0.6
Other/unknown	2,079	5.3
Total	11,418	28.9%
Collision with object, not fixed
Parked motor vehicle	538	1.4
Animal	156	0.4
Pedestrian	6,790	17.2
Pedalcyclist	959	2.4
Train	92	0.2
Other/unknown	481	1.2
Total	9,016	22.8%
Noncollision
Rollover	2,825	7.2
Other/unknown	408	1.0
Total	3,233	8.2%
Total	39,508(1)	100.0%

(1) Includes 42 fatal crashes with unknown first harmful events.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Holiday Driving, 2017-2021 (1)

	Holiday period (1)
	New Year’s Day		Memorial Day		Independence Day		Labor Day		Thanksgiving Day		Christmas Day
Year	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)	Deaths	Percent alcohol- impaired (2)
2017	330	37%	345	37%	529	38%	345	37%	470	36%	299	38%
2018	325	39	430	38	175	41	433	36	433	31	425	35
2019	428	36	453	37	498	39	438	39	413	29	136	37
2020	145	52	396	41	480	41	510	38	504	36	323	39
2021	395	40	453	40	517	39	506	41	514	36	376	36

(1) The length of the holiday period depends on the day of the week on which the holiday falls. Memorial Day and Labor Day are always 3.25 days; Thanksgiving is always 4.25 days; and New Year’s Day, Independence Day, and Christmas are 3.25 days
if the holiday falls on Friday through Monday, 4.25 days if on Tuesday or Thursday, and 1.25 days if on Wednesday. See https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/holidays/holiday-introduction/ for more information.
(2) The highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers or motorcycle riders involved in the crash was 0.08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher (the legal definition of drunk driving in most states).

Source: National Safety Council based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

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Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths By Month, 2021

Month	Deaths	Percent of total	Rank
January	2,835	7%	11
February	2,340	6	12
March	2,901	7	10
April	3,271	8	8
May	3,435	9	6
June	3,466	9	5
July	3,562	9	4
August	3,715	9	2
September	3,623	9	3
October	3,799	10	1
November	3,320	8	7
December	3,241	8	9
Total	39,508	100%

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Fatal Crashes Involving Distracted Drivers, 2022

	Crashes	Drivers	Fatalities
Total fatal crashes	39,221	60,048	42,514
Distraction-affected fatal crashes
Number of distraction-affected fatal crashes	3,047	3,124	3,308
Percent of total fatal crashes	8%	5%	8%
Cellphone in use in distraction-affected fatal crashes
Number of cellphone distraction-affected fatal crashes	368	375	402
Percent of fatal distraction-affected crashes	12%	12%	12%