Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Arkansas in 2021

State in United States

Deaths, 2021
692
Fatal crashes
630
Population
3M

In 2021, 692 people died in 630 fatal crashes in Arkansas. That was 6.3% more than in 2020 (651) and the most since 2004. The death rate was 22.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Arkansas had the 22nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 3rd-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 11% of deaths, and 21% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

22.9

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

  • About 1.8 times the rate in the United States: 13.0

+6%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

651 deaths in 2020, 692 in 2021

  • The United States: +11%

Arkansas traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

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

Road users

Who died

11%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2021
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 507
Pedestrians 78
Motorcyclists 97
Cyclists 10
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Deaths by type, 2021
Type Deaths Share in Arkansas Share in the US
Pedestrians 78 11% 17%
Motorcyclists 97 14% 14%
Cyclists 10 1% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 183 26% 31%
Speeding-related crashes 148 21% 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

21%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 28%

29%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2021
Category Arkansas United States
Speeding-related 29.0% 26.3%
Alcohol-involved 21.3% 28.2%
At night 48.6% 53.9%
At weekends 32.2% 32.8%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

49%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

32%

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 27
1am 19
2am 17
3am 11
4am 16
5am 24
6am 28
7am 29
8am 18
9am 19
10am 23
11am 23
12pm 24
1pm 23
2pm 33
3pm 32
4pm 29
5pm 39
6pm 35
7pm 41
8pm 26
9pm 44
10pm 22
11pm 24

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 106
Mon 86
Tue 81
Wed 72
Thu 90
Fri 98
Sat 97

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 43
Feb 31
Mar 48
Apr 62
May 55
Jun 56
Jul 43
Aug 51
Sep 68
Oct 59
Nov 56
Dec 58

All crashes 2021.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 488
Cloudy 79
Rain 51
Fog, Smog, Smoke 5
Snow 2
Other 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 314
Dark - Not Lighted 232
Dark - Lighted 47
Dusk 15
Dawn 10
Dark - Unknown Lighting 8

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. I-40-338
  2. I-49-286
  3. I-49-295
  4. I-40-324
  5. I-530-54
  6. US-67-104
  7. US-70-104
  8. I-30-2104
  9. I-30-224
  10. I-30-234

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 297
Pickup trucks 188
SUVs 181
Medium and heavy trucks 118
Motorcycles 102
Other vehicles 41
Vans 29
Buses 1

All crashes 2021.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Chevrolet Silverado42
  2. GMC Sierra32
  3. Ford F-15029
  4. Dodge Ram20
  5. Freightliner Cascadia16
  6. Nissan Altima16
  7. Chevrolet Tahoe14
  8. Honda Accord14
  9. Chevrolet Malibu13
  10. Toyota Camry11

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 31, 2021 Marion County 1
Dec 31, 2021 Malvern, Hot Spring County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Baxter County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Fort Smith, Sebastian County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Saline County 2
Dec 29, 2021 Fulton County 1
Dec 29, 2021 Randolph County 1
Dec 28, 2021 Grant County 1
Dec 28, 2021 Pulaski County 2
Dec 28, 2021 Lonoke, Lonoke County 1
Dec 26, 2021 Clay County 1
Dec 25, 2021 Logan County 1
Dec 25, 2021 Fulton County 1
Dec 24, 2021 Johnson County 1
Dec 24, 2021 Fayetteville, Washington County 1
Dec 24, 2021 North Little Rock, Pulaski County 1
Dec 24, 2021 Franklin County 1
Dec 24, 2021 St. Francis County 1
Dec 23, 2021 Faulkner County 1
Dec 22, 2021 Hot Springs, Garland County 1
Dec 22, 2021 Lonoke County 1
Dec 21, 2021 Poinsett County 1
Dec 21, 2021 Mississippi County 1
Dec 19, 2021 Little Rock, Pulaski County 1
Dec 19, 2021 Randolph County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in Arkansas in 2021

Area Deaths, 2021 Per 100,000
Arkansas County 4 24.0
Ashley County 5 26.8
Baxter County 8 19.0
Benton County 35 11.9
Boone County 13 34.3
Bradley County 3 29.0
Calhoun County 5 105.8
Carroll County 4 14.0
Chicot County 4 39.8
Clark County 13 61.2
Clay County 8 55.8
Cleburne County 5 20.0
Cleveland County 5 66.8
Columbia County 7 31.2
Conway County 6 28.7
Craighead County 19 17.0
Crawford County 10 16.6
Crittenden County 9 19.0
Cross County 2 12.0
Dallas County 3 47.6
Desha County 1 9.1
Drew County 4 23.4
Faulkner County 21 16.7
Franklin County 9 52.5
Fulton County 9 74.1
Garland County 23 22.9
Grant County 7 38.6
Greene County 8 17.3
Hempstead County 3 15.3
Hot Spring County 15 45.3
Howard County 2 15.8
Independence County 20 52.6
Izard County 4 28.7
Jackson County 2 11.9
Jefferson County 16 24.4
Johnson County 6 23.1
Lafayette County 0 —
Lawrence County 6 36.8
Lee County 3 34.8
Lincoln County 1 7.6
Little River County 5 41.9
Logan County 9 42.4
Lonoke County 16 21.4
Madison County 5 29.5
Marion County 5 29.5
Miller County 15 35.3
Mississippi County 9 22.8
Monroe County 2 30.1
Montgomery County 4 46.4
Nevada County 4 48.9
Newton County 2 27.9
Ouachita County 6 26.9
Perry County 4 40.1
Phillips County 9 57.1
Pike County 1 9.9
Poinsett County 9 39.7
Polk County 8 41.4
Pope County 12 18.8
Prairie County 2 24.8
Pulaski County 70 17.6
Randolph County 9 47.9
Saline County 29 23.1
Scott County 3 30.6
Searcy County 5 63.3
Sebastian County 20 15.6
Sevier County 3 19.1
Sharp County 4 22.6
St. Francis County 12 52.8
Stone County 4 32.1
Union County 13 33.9
Van Buren County 8 50.7
Washington County 29 11.5
White County 20 25.9
Woodruff County 0 —
Yell County 8 39.7

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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.