Car Accident Statistics
Car accident statistics measure the frequency, causes, injuries, fatalities, and trends of motor vehicle collisions in the United States. Car accident statistics explain how many collisions happen each year, how many people die in car crashes, how often accidents occur, and what the leading causes of vehicle accidents are.
Together they support traffic safety analysis, policy decisions, insurance risk modeling, and public awareness.
Each year in the United States, millions of vehicle collisions occur, and they result in tens of thousands of traffic deaths and millions of injuries. Police reported 6,180,241 crashes in 2024, 39,254 people died, and an estimated 2,422,195 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Car accidents remain a leading cause of preventable death, and road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 5 to 29, according to the World Health Organization. Speeding and impaired driving rank among the leading causes of car accidents and traffic fatalities.
- NHTSA FARS
- NHTSA CRSS
- IIHS Fatality Facts
- NSC Injury Facts
- WHO
Last updated
39,254Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
Traffic deaths in the U.S., 2024
1.19Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, 2024
2,422,195Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
People injured in crashes, 2024 (estimated)
6,180,241Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
Police-reported crashes, 2024
Car Accident Summary
The table below summarizes United States car accident statistics for 2024, the latest year of national data, with the source named for each figure. Rows NHTSA has not published for 2024 give the 2022 final figure and say so. Values marked as computed are simple arithmetic from the cited annual totals.
| Variable | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | NHTSA |
| Year | 2024, the latest year of NHTSA data (FARS Annual Report File). Rows marked 2022 use the 2022 Final File, where NHTSA has no 2024 figure | NHTSA FARS |
| Total vehicle collisions | 6,180,241 police-reported crashes (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car accidents per year | 6,180,241 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car accidents per day | About 16,886 (computed from the 2024 total) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| Motor vehicle accidents per hour | About 677 (computed from the 2022 final total) | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Fatal car crashes per year | 36,297 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car accident deaths per year | 39,254 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car accident deaths per day | About 107 (computed from the 2024 total) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| Non-fatal injury crashes | 1,676,700 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Percentage of car accidents that are fatal | 0.6% (2024: 36,297 of 6,180,241) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| Leading cause of car accidents (all causes) | NHTSA does not rank a single cause for all crashes. For fatal crashes it tracks three major behavioral factors: alcohol-impaired driving, speeding and not using restraints | NHTSA |
| Leading cause of traffic fatalities | Alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, 30% of deaths (11,904), then speeding-related crashes, 29% (11,288), in 2024. The two overlap: a crash can be both | NHTSA 2024 |
| Pedestrian deaths | 7,080 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Motorcycle fatalities | 6,228 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Speed-related deaths | 11,288 (29% of traffic deaths, 2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Distraction-related deaths | 3,208 (8.2% of traffic deaths, 2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Bicyclist deaths | 1,103 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Urban vs rural share of deaths | Rural 41% (16,006 deaths), urban 59% (22,905 deaths), 2024 | NHTSA 2024 |
| Current trend | Declining since the 2021 peak (43,230): 42,721 in 2022, 41,025 in 2023, 39,254 in 2024 | IIHS |
Car Accident Statistics by State
State-level car accident statistics vary widely across the United States. The table below lists 2022 traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled for every state and the District of Columbia, from NHTSA’s 2022 Final File.
Alabama to Missouri, 2022
| State | Fatalities | Rate / 100M VMT |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 988 | 1.38 |
| Alaska | 82 | 1.50 |
| Arizona | 1,320 | 1.73 |
| Arkansas | 637 | 1.65 |
| California | 4,539 | 1.44 |
| Colorado | 764 | 1.42 |
| Connecticut | 366 | 1.23 |
| Delaware | 162 | 1.64 |
| District of Columbia | 32 | 0.94 |
| Florida | 3,548 | 1.56 |
| Georgia | 1,796 | 1.39 |
| Hawaii | 116 | 1.13 |
| Idaho | 215 | 1.12 |
| Illinois | 1,268 | 1.22 |
| Indiana | 976 | 1.02 |
| Iowa | 336 | 1.03 |
| Kansas | 410 | 1.31 |
| Kentucky | 744 | 1.55 |
| Louisiana | 906 | 1.60 |
| Maine | 182 | 1.24 |
| Maryland | 566 | 1.00 |
| Massachusetts | 435 | 0.76 |
| Michigan | 1,124 | 1.17 |
| Minnesota | 444 | 0.77 |
| Mississippi | 703 | 1.76 |
| Missouri | 1,057 | 1.33 |
Montana to Wyoming, 2022
| State | Fatalities | Rate / 100M VMT |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 215 | 1.59 |
| Nebraska | 244 | 1.15 |
| Nevada | 417 | 1.51 |
| New Hampshire | 146 | 1.10 |
| New Jersey | 689 | 0.92 |
| New Mexico | 466 | 1.74 |
| New York | 1,182 | 1.02 |
| North Carolina | 1,631 | 1.37 |
| North Dakota | 98 | 1.07 |
| Ohio | 1,274 | 1.15 |
| Oklahoma | 710 | 1.59 |
| Oregon | 602 | 1.65 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,179 | 1.18 |
| Rhode Island | 52 | 0.69 |
| South Carolina | 1,094 | 1.85 |
| South Dakota | 137 | 1.35 |
| Tennessee | 1,313 | 1.58 |
| Texas | 4,408 | 1.52 |
| Utah | 319 | 0.93 |
| Vermont | 76 | 1.07 |
| Virginia | 1,006 | 1.23 |
| Washington | 743 | 1.27 |
| West Virginia | 266 | 1.74 |
| Wisconsin | 604 | 0.91 |
| Wyoming | 134 | 1.44 |
The national total in 2022 was 42,721 deaths at a rate of 1.34 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Fatal Car Accident Statistics
Fatal car accident statistics describe how often crashes kill and who is most affected. The figures below are NHTSA’s 2024 figures where published, and its 2022 final figures otherwise; each row names its year.
| Variable | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 where published (FARS Annual Report File); otherwise 2022 (Final File), as marked | NHTSA FARS |
| Total traffic deaths | 39,254 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car crash deaths per year, USA | 39,254 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Car crash deaths per day, USA | About 107 (2024, computed: 39,254 / 366) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| One traffic death occurs every | About 13 minutes (2024, computed) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| Percentage of crashes that are fatal | 0.6% (2024: 36,297 of 6,180,241) | Computed from NHTSA 2024 |
| Most common cause of fatal crashes | Alcohol-impaired driving, 30%, then speeding, 29% (2024; overlapping factors) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Older adults (65+) killed | 8,022 (2022), the most for that age group since FARS began in 1975 | NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Young drivers 15 to 20 killed | 2,037 (2022) | NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Gender pattern | Males 28,385 (72.3% of all deaths) and females 10,764 (27.4%) in 2024; 105 deaths had another or unknown sex | IIHS 2024 |
| State with the most fatalities | California, 4,539 (2022) | NHTSA 2022 Final |
| State with the fewest fatalities | Rhode Island, 52 (District of Columbia, 32) (2022) | NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Most common crash type | Single-vehicle crashes: 21,224 of 39,254 deaths (54%) in 2024 | NHTSA 2024 |
Non-Fatal Injury Statistics
Non-fatal injury statistics capture the far larger group of people hurt but not killed. The figures below are for 2024 from NHTSA, with the economic cost from the National Safety Council.
| Statistical metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting period / latest data year | 2024 (the per-day average uses 2022 final data) | NHTSA |
| Police-reported injury crashes | 1,676,700 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Total estimated persons injured | 2,422,195 (2024, estimated) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Average people injured per day | About 6,528 (2022, computed: 2,382,833 / 365) | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Total economic cost of motor-vehicle injuries | $559.3 billion (2024), fatal and nonfatal injuries plus property damage | NSC 2024 |
Car Accidents Frequency Statistics
Car accident frequency statistics translate the annual totals into how often crashes happen. Values below marked as computed are arithmetic from NHTSA’s 2022 final totals: 5,930,697 police-reported crashes, 39,422 fatal crashes and 42,721 deaths.
Car and traffic accident frequency, 2022
| Variable | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Car accidents per year | 5,930,697 | NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Car accidents per day | About 16,248 | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Car accidents per hour | About 677 | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Car accidents per minute | About 11 | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| A motor vehicle accident occurs every | About 5 seconds | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| Fatal car crashes per day | About 108 | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
| People who die from car accidents every day | 117 | Computed from NHTSA 2022 Final |
Car Accident Trends Statistics
Car accident trends show United States traffic deaths rising to a 2021 peak and then declining. The yearly totals below come from the IIHS Fatality Facts series, kept to one source for consistency.
U.S. traffic deaths, 2018 to 2024
| Year | Deaths | Relative volume comparison | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 36,835 | -1.7% | |
| 2019 | 36,355 | -1.3% | |
| 2020 | 39,007 | +7.3% | |
| 2021 | 43,230 | +10.8% | |
| 2022 | 42,721 | -1.2% | |
| 2023 | 41,025 | -4.0% | |
| 2024 | 39,254 | -4.3% |
Source: IIHS, Fatality Facts: Yearly snapshot (from NHTSA FARS)
Traffic fatalities climbed sharply through 2020 and 2021, then fell for three straight years. Deaths fell 4.0% in 2023, from 42,721 to 41,025, and another 4.3% in 2024, to 39,254. Traffic fatalities have therefore been decreasing since the 2021 peak, though 2024 deaths remained above the 2018 and 2019 levels.
Car Accident Injury Statistics
Car accident injury statistics quantify the people hurt each year. The figures below are NHTSA’s 2024 estimates of people injured.
| Variable | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People injured in motor vehicle crashes (total) | 2,422,195 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Passenger vehicle occupants injured | 1,908,301 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Non-motorist injuries (pedestrians and pedalcyclists) | 71,635 pedestrians, 52,887 pedalcyclists (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
| Motorcyclists injured | 86,887 (2024) | NHTSA 2024 |
Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
Road User Risk Breakdown Statistics
Road user risk breakdown statistics show how traffic deaths distribute across the people who use the road. The death and injury counts below are NHTSA’s 2024 figures, and the shares are computed from those counts against the 39,254 national total.
| Road user type | Deaths (2024) | Share of total fatalities | Share | Injured (2024) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger vehicle occupants | 22,713 | 57.9% | 1,908,301 | NHTSA 2024 | |
| Motorcyclists | 6,228 | 15.9% | 86,887 | NHTSA 2024 | |
| Pedestrians | 7,080 | 18.0% | 71,635 | NHTSA 2024 | |
| Pedalcyclists | 1,103 | 2.8% | 52,887 | NHTSA 2024 | |
| Large-truck occupants | 920 | 2.3% | 41,901 (2022) | NHTSA 2024; injured 2022 Final |
Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791)
Road Safety and Prevention Statistics
Road safety and prevention statistics measure how much specific countermeasures reduce crashes and deaths. The measures below carry the strongest verified figures.
| Safety measure & associated figure |
|---|
| Lap/shoulder seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45% for front-seat passenger-car occupants and by 60% for front-seat light-truck occupants, and saved an estimated 14,955 lives (occupants 5 and older) in 2017 |
| Alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 30% of traffic deaths, 11,904, in 2024 |
| Speeding-related crashes accounted for 29% of traffic deaths, 11,288, in 2024 |
| Distraction-affected crashes killed 3,208 people in 2024, 8.2% of traffic deaths, and injured an estimated 289,310 in 2022 |
The strongest documented prevention lever is the seatbelt, which cuts the risk of fatal injury by 45% for front-seat passenger-car occupants and by 60% for front-seat light-truck occupants, according to NHTSA. Sober driving, speed compliance and buckling up address NHTSA’s three major behavioral factors in fatal crashes; distraction was involved in 8.2% of 2024 deaths.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
The answers below lead with the verified figure and name its source.
39,254 people died in United States traffic crashes in 2024, according to NHTSA. Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports approximately 1.19 million road traffic deaths each year (Global status report on road safety 2023). The annual United States toll has sat near or above 40,000 every year since 2020.
In the United States, 39,254 people died in traffic crashes in 2024, according to NHTSA. Deaths fell from 42,721 in 2022 to 41,025 in 2023 and 39,254 in 2024, so the United States toll has declined for three straight years while remaining near 40,000.
Approximately 1.19 million people died in road traffic crashes worldwide in 2021, according to the World Health Organization’s Global status report on road safety 2023. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5 to 29, and crashes cost most countries about 3% of their gross domestic product, according to WHO.