Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Alaska in 2021

State in United States

Deaths, 2021
70
Fatal crashes
62
Population
734.6K

In 2021, 70 people died in 62 fatal crashes in Alaska. That was 9.4% more than in 2020 (64) and the most since 2018. The death rate was 9.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Alaska had the 49th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 39th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 24% of deaths, and 34% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

9.5

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

  • About three-quarters of the rate in the United States: 13.0

+9%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

64 deaths in 2020, 70 in 2021

  • The United States: +11%

Alaska traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

24%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 1.4 times the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2021
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 44
Pedestrians 17
Motorcyclists 7
Cyclists 2
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Deaths by type, 2021
Type Deaths Share in Alaska Share in the US
Pedestrians 17 24% 17%
Motorcyclists 7 10% 14%
Cyclists 2 3% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 25 36% 31%
Speeding-related crashes 27 39% 29%

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

34%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%

35%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.3 times the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2021
Category Alaska United States
Speeding-related 35.5% 26.3%
Alcohol-involved 33.9% 28.2%
At night 46.8% 53.9%
At weekends 33.9% 32.8%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

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Timing

When crashes happen

47%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 54%

34%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 3
1am 1
2am 3
3am 4
4am 1
5am 0
6am 3
7am 3
8am 1
9am 2
10am 0
11am 4
12pm 2
1pm 1
2pm 2
3pm 2
4pm 3
5pm 6
6pm 5
7pm 4
8pm 1
9pm 2
10pm 3
11pm 2

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 8
Mon 4
Tue 9
Wed 10
Thu 8
Fri 10
Sat 13

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 5
Feb 4
Mar 3
Apr 1
May 6
Jun 3
Jul 9
Aug 6
Sep 8
Oct 6
Nov 5
Dec 6

All crashes 2021.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 32
Cloudy 11
Snow 8
Rain 5
Fog, Smog, Smoke 1
Freezing Rain or Drizzle 1

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 26
Dark - Lighted 18
Dark - Not Lighted 13
Dusk 3
Dark - Unknown Lighting 2

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2021

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. SR-1 STERLING HWY5
  2. SR-3 PARKS HWY4
  3. SR-1 GLENN HWY4
  4. KENAI SPUR HWY2
  5. C ST2
  6. CLAPP ST2
  7. MINNESOTA DR2
  8. OLD GLENN HWY2
  9. SR-1 SEWARD HWY2
  10. SR-9 SEWARD HWY2

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
SUVs 26
Cars 24
Pickup trucks 24
Medium and heavy trucks 8
Motorcycles 8
Other vehicles 3
Vans 3

All crashes 2021.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Chevrolet Silverado6
  2. Dodge Ram4
  3. GMC Sierra4
  4. Ford Escape3
  5. Ford F-1503
  6. Ford Explorer2
  7. Ford F-2502
  8. Ford Focus2
  9. Ford Fusion2
  10. Jeep Compass2

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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Dec 29, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Dec 21, 2021 Homer, Kenai Peninsula Borough 1
Dec 17, 2021 Houston, Matanuska-Susitna Borough 1
Dec 9, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Dec 3, 2021 Wasilla, Matanuska-Susitna Borough 1
Dec 2, 2021 Ester, Fairbanks North Star Borough 2
Nov 27, 2021 Juneau, Juneau City and Borough 1
Nov 23, 2021 Kasilof, Kenai Peninsula Borough 1
Nov 20, 2021 Cooper Landing, Kenai Peninsula Borough 2
Nov 15, 2021 Fairbanks North Star Borough 1
Nov 3, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Oct 31, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Oct 31, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Oct 23, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Oct 16, 2021 Wasilla, Matanuska-Susitna Borough 1
Oct 7, 2021 Nondalton, Lake and Peninsula Borough 1
Oct 2, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Sep 30, 2021 Juneau, Juneau City and Borough 1
Sep 24, 2021 Willow, Matanuska-Susitna Borough 1
Sep 21, 2021 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 1
Sep 18, 2021 Livengood, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 1
Sep 17, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Sep 15, 2021 Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality 1
Sep 12, 2021 Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 1
Sep 7, 2021 Ester, Fairbanks North Star Borough 1

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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2021. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.