How many people die in car accidents?

According to FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) data from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, the state of Texas had the most traffic fatalities of any state in the U.S. with 3,722. California had the second most fatal crashes with 3,602, followed by Florida with 3,112. See the full table results below in the bar chart. FARS is the data used for providing NHTSA, Congress and the American public yearly data regarding fatal injuries suffered in motor vehicle traffic crashes. The chart shows data from 2017 since we are currently still in 2018 and the data for the current year is still being calculated.

Fatal Crashes and Fatalities by State

State Fatal Crash Count Fatalities
TEXAS 3407 3776
CALIFORNIA 3357 3623
FLORIDA 2933 3174
GEORGIA 1422 1554
NORTH CAROLINA 1348 1450
PENNSYLVANIA 1088 1188
OHIO 1053 1132
ILLINOIS 1003 1082
MICHIGAN 980 1064
TENNESSEE 966 1041
ALABAMA 937 1038
NEW YORK 965 1025
SOUTH CAROLINA 936 1015
ARIZONA 865 962
MISSOURI 868 945
KENTUCKY 763 834
INDIANA 768 821
VIRGINIA 722 760
LOUISIANA 704 757
MISSISSIPPI 628 690
OKLAHOMA 624 683
COLORADO 558 608
WISCONSIN 544 607
NEW JERSEY 569 601
ARKANSAS 488 545
WASHINGTON 504 537
MARYLAND 472 505
OREGON 446 495
KANSAS 381 429
IOWA 356 404
NEW MEXICO 358 402
MINNESOTA 357 392
MASSACHUSETTS 359 389
NEVADA 303 328
CONNECTICUT 281 293
UTAH 259 281
WEST VIRGINIA 250 269
IDAHO 232 253
NEBRASKA 194 218
MONTANA 171 190
MAINE 151 161
NEW HAMPSHIRE 130 136
HAWAII 109 120
DELAWARE 116 119
SOUTH DAKOTA 103 116
NORTH DAKOTA 102 113
WYOMING 100 112
ALASKA 78 84
VERMONT 57 62
RHODE ISLAND 48 51
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 26 27

 

Fatal Crashes by Month: Total and Alcohol Related

When do the most fatal crashes occur?  What month’s are the deadliest for drunk driving crashes?

Fatal crashes, drunk driving crashes and total fatalities all peaked in July, followed closely by September, then October (except in the case of drunk driving crashes, where August and September were two and three respectively.  Conversely, the lowest totals for fatal crashes, drunk driving crashes and fatalities occurred in February.

Month Fatal Crashes Fatalities Drunk Driving Crashes
January 2616 2834 661
February 2302 2514 639
March 2686 2924 723
April 2743 2963 794
May 2896 3167 792
June 3015 3262 790
July 3226 3514 912
August 2964 3154 842
September 3068 3331 814
October 3064 3322 750
November 2852 3095 664
December 2815 3053 651

 

 

Early estimates for 2018 Fatal Crashes

Through the 1st half of 2018, there were a total of 17,120 crashes, a drop of 3.1% when compared to the 2017 total of 17,664. The table below shows data from 2018-2018.

State Fatal Crashes Fatalities Drunk Driving Crashes
Quarter 1st Quarter (Jan–Mar) 2nd Quarter (Apr–Jun) 3rd Quarter (Jul–Sep) 4th Quarter (Oct–Dec) Total (Full Year) 1st Half (Jan–Jun)
2008 8,459 [ -9.6%] 9,435 [-11.1%] 9,947 [-10.0%] 9,582 [  -6.4%] 37,423 [ -9.3%] 17,894 [-10.4%]
2009 7,552 [-10.7%] 8,975 [ -4.9%] 9,104 [ -8.5%] 8,252 [-13.9%] 33,883 [ -9.5%] 16,527 [  -7.6%]
2010 6,755 [-10.6%] 8,522 [ -5.0%] 9,226 [ +1.3%] 8,496 [ +3.0%] 32,999 [ -2.6%] 15,277 [ -7.6%]
2011 6,726 [ -0.4%] 8,227 [ -3.5%] 8,984 [ -2.6%] 8,542 [ +0.5%] 32,479 [ -1.6%] 14,953 [ -2.1%]
2012 7,521 [+11.8%] 8,612 [+4.7%] 9,171 [ +2.1%] 8,478 [  -0.7%] 33,782 [+4.0%] 16,133 [+7.9%]
2013 7,166 [ -4.7%] 8,207 [ -4.7%] 9,024 [  -1.6%] 8,496 [ +0.2%] 32,893 [ -2.6%] 15,373 [ -4.7%]
2014 6,856 [ -4.3%] 8,179 [ -0.3%] 8,799 [ -2.5%] 8,910 [ +4.9%] 32,744 [ -0.5%] 15,035 [ -2.2%]
2015 7,370 [ +7.5%] 8,823 [ +7.9%] 9,805 [+11.4%] 9,486 [ +6.5%] 35,484 [+8.4%] 16,193 [+7.7%]
2016 8,154 [+10.6%] 9,563 [+8.4%] 10,078 [ +2.8%] 10,011 [ +5.5%] 37,806 [+6.5%] 17,717 [+9.4%]
2017 8,272 [ +1.4%] 9,392 [ -1.8%] 9,999 [ -0.8%] 9,470 [  -5.4%] 37,133 [  -1.8%] 17,664 [ -0.3%]
2018† 8,070 [  -2.4%] 9,050 [ -3.6%] — — — 17,120 [ -3.1%]