Fatal crash profile · City
Traffic deaths in Opelika, Alabama
City in Lee County · Alabama · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 8
- Fatal crashes
- 8
- Population
- 35K
In 2024, 8 people died in 8 fatal crashes in Opelika, Alabama. That was 33.3% more than in 2023 (6) and the most in any year since 2020. The death rate was 22.8 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.8 in Lee County, 18.6 in Alabama and 11.5 in the United States. Between 2020 and 2024, 28 people died, an average of 5.6 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year. Pedestrians accounted for 13% of deaths, and 13% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
22.8
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.6 times the rate in Lee County, Alabama: 13.8
- About 1.2 times the rate in Alabama: 18.6
- About double the rate in the United States: 11.5
+33%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
6 deaths in 2023, 8 in 2024
- Lee County, Alabama: +4%
- Alabama: -1%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 19.3 |
| 2021 | 12.7 |
| 2022 | 12.2 |
| 2023 | 17.8 |
| 2024 | 22.8 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
13%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 80 percent of the share in Lee County, Alabama: 15%
- About the same as the share in Alabama: 13%
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 7 |
| Pedestrians | 1 |
| Motorcyclists | 0 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Opelika | Share in Lee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 1 | 13% | 15% |
| Motorcyclists | 0 | 0% | 19% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 2 | 25% | 35% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1 | 13% | 15% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
13%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 80 percent of the share in Lee County, Alabama: 16%
- About 45 percent of the share in Alabama: 29%
- About 45 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
38%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in Lee County, Alabama: 40%
- About 1.4 times the share in Alabama: 27%
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Opelika | Lee County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 37.5% | 40.0% | 26.6% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 12.5% | 16.0% | 29.4% | 28.1% |
| At night | 50.0% | 48.0% | 51.7% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 25.0% | 24.0% | 32.2% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
50%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as the share in Lee County, Alabama: 48%
- About the same as the share in Alabama: 52%
- About the same as the share in the United States: 54%
25%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in Lee County, Alabama: 24%
- About three-quarters of the share in Alabama: 32%
- About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 0 |
| 1am | 1 |
| 2am | 1 |
| 3am | 0 |
| 4am | 1 |
| 5am | 0 |
| 6am | 1 |
| 7am | 0 |
| 8am | 1 |
| 9am | 0 |
| 10am | 1 |
| 11am | 2 |
| 12pm | 0 |
| 1pm | 0 |
| 2pm | 2 |
| 3pm | 2 |
| 4pm | 3 |
| 5pm | 2 |
| 6pm | 4 |
| 7pm | 3 |
| 8pm | 0 |
| 9pm | 1 |
| 10pm | 1 |
| 11pm | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 0 |
| Mon | 5 |
| Tue | 3 |
| Wed | 6 |
| Thu | 3 |
| Fri | 5 |
| Sat | 5 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 1 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 6 |
| May | 2 |
| Jun | 4 |
| Jul | 2 |
| Aug | 2 |
| Sep | 3 |
| Oct | 5 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 23 |
| Cloudy | 3 |
| Rain | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 15 |
| Dark - Lighted | 5 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 5 |
| Dawn | 1 |
| Dusk | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-858
- SR-513
- US-431 SR-12
- PEPPERELL PKWY2
- MU-VETERANS PKWY2
- US-29 SR-151
- US-280 SR-11
- SR-PEPPERELL PKWY1
- SPORTSPLEX PKWY1
- MU-SAMFORD PLACE1
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 17 |
| SUVs | 11 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 7 |
| Pickup trucks | 5 |
| Other vehicles | 2 |
| Vans | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Dodge Ram3
- Freightliner Cascadia2
- Jeep Wrangler2
- Kia Rio2
- Kia Soul2
- Toyota 4-Runner2
- Toyota Camry2
- Acura TLX1
- Cadillac Escalade1
- Caterpillar Caterpillar1
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2024 | I-85 | 1 |
| Oct 23, 2024 | US-431 SR-1 | 1 |
| Sep 7, 2024 | I-85 EXIT RAMP | 1 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | I-85 | 1 |
| May 22, 2024 | MU-OLD COLUMBUS | 1 |
| Apr 29, 2024 | I-85 | 1 |
| Apr 20, 2024 | I-85 | 1 |
| Apr 15, 2024 | MU-SAMFORD PLACE | 1 |
| Dec 6, 2023 | MU-VETERANS PKWY | 1 |
| Oct 30, 2023 | SR-51 | 1 |
| Sep 28, 2023 | CR-MARVYN PKWY | 1 |
| Jun 23, 2023 | SR-51 | 1 |
| Jun 2, 2023 | MU-VETERANS PKWY | 1 |
| Apr 7, 2023 | SR-PEPPERELL PKWY | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2022 | I-85 | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | SR-51 | 1 |
| Jun 22, 2022 | PEPPERELL PKWY | 1 |
| May 28, 2022 | US-29 SR-15 | 1 |
| Dec 7, 2021 | PEPPERELL PKWY | 1 |
| Aug 9, 2021 | US-431 SR-1 | 1 |
| Aug 4, 2021 | I-85 | 1 |
| Jan 6, 2021 | US-280 SR-1 | 1 |
| Oct 2, 2020 | AIRPORT RD | 1 |
| Sep 1, 2020 | I-85 | 1 |
| Jul 21, 2020 | CUNNINGHAM DR | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.