Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Delaware in 2021

Deaths, 2021: 136
Fatal crashes: 132
Population: 1M

In 2021, 136 people died in 132 fatal crashes in Delaware. That was 17.2% more than in 2020 (116) and the most since 2006. The death rate was 13.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Delaware had the 43rd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 24th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 21% of deaths, and 34% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

13.5

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

About the same as the rate in the United States: 13.0

+17%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

116 deaths in 2020, 136 in 2021

The United States: +11%

Delaware traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

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

Road users

Who died

21%

of deaths were pedestrians

About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 17%

Who died in 2021

Category	Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others	81
Pedestrians	29
Motorcyclists	24
Cyclists	2

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Deaths by type, 2021
Type	Deaths	Share in Delaware	Share in the US
Pedestrians	29	21%	17%
Motorcyclists	24	18%	14%
Cyclists	2	1%	2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes	34	25%	31%
Speeding-related crashes	46	34%	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%

22%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 26%

Crash factors in 2021

Category	Delaware	United States
Speeding-related	22.0%	26.3%
Alcohol-involved	34.1%	28.2%
At night	48.5%	53.9%
At weekends	31.1%	32.8%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

48%

of fatal crashes happened at night

About 90 percent of the share in the United States: 54%

31%

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	5
1am	3
2am	3
3am	2
4am	4
5am	6
6am	3
7am	5
8am	4
9am	3
10am	5
11am	4
12pm	4
1pm	5
2pm	8
3pm	7
4pm	7
5pm	13
6pm	10
7pm	2
8pm	7
9pm	11
10pm	4
11pm	7

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by day of week

Category	Fatal crashes
Sun	23
Mon	18
Tue	14
Wed	21
Thu	14
Fri	24
Sat	18

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by month

Category	Fatal crashes
Jan	8
Feb	6
Mar	5
Apr	9
May	16
Jun	9
Jul	13
Aug	11
Sep	12
Oct	21
Nov	10
Dec	12

All crashes 2021.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash

Category	Fatal crashes
Clear	96
Cloudy	26
Rain	9

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	63
Dark - Not Lighted	43
Dark - Lighted	15
Dusk	6
Dawn	4

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

US-1312
SR-19
I-955
SR-75
US-113 DUPONT BLVD4
SR-23
CENTERVILLE RD2
SR-112
SR-142
SR-15 CANTERBURY RD2

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type

Category	Vehicles
Cars	94
SUVs	46
Motorcycles	24
Pickup trucks	24
Medium and heavy trucks	13
Other vehicles	3
Vans	3

All crashes 2021.

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Vehicles most often involved

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

Who died Time of day Day Weather Lighting Vehicle type involved Make involved

Alcohol-involved Speeding-related Distracted driver

Date	Location	Road	Deaths
Dec 29, 2021	Wilmington, New Castle County	US-13B	1
Dec 29, 2021	New Castle County	SR-7	1
Dec 23, 2021	Wilmington, New Castle County	SR-48	1
Dec 23, 2021	Kent County	US-13 S DUPONT BLVD	1
Dec 23, 2021	Sussex County	CR-520	1
Dec 23, 2021	New Castle County	US-40 PULASKI HWY	1
Dec 22, 2021	Georgetown, Sussex County	US-113 DUPONT BLVD	1
Dec 17, 2021	Sussex County	ATLANTA RD	1
Dec 16, 2021	New Castle County	SR-141	1
Dec 11, 2021	Kent County	SR-10	1
Dec 9, 2021	Sussex County	SEAFORD RD	1
Dec 4, 2021	New Castle County	SR-72	1
Nov 30, 2021	Wilmington, New Castle County	E 4TH ST	1
Nov 29, 2021	Smyrna, Kent County	US-13	1
Nov 26, 2021	Sussex County	SYCAMORE RD	1
Nov 12, 2021	Kent County	KENTON RD	1
Nov 10, 2021	New Castle County	SR-9	1
Nov 9, 2021	Dover, Kent County	SR-1	1
Nov 9, 2021	Middletown, New Castle County	E MAIN ST	1
Nov 8, 2021	New Castle County	US-202	1
Nov 7, 2021	Kent County	SR-1	1
Nov 6, 2021	New Castle County	SR-4	1
Oct 31, 2021	New Castle County	US-13	1
Oct 29, 2021	New Castle County	CENTERVILLE RD	2
Oct 27, 2021	New Castle County	I-95	1

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Explore

Nearby and related

Counties in Delaware in 2021

Area	Deaths, 2021	Per 100,000
Kent County	37	20.0
New Castle County	70	12.2
Sussex County	29	11.7

Rankings

Nearby states

Compare Delaware with another place

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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.