Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Delaware

State in United States

Deaths, 2024
126
Fatal crashes
121
Population
1.1M

In 2024, 126 people died in 121 fatal crashes in Delaware. That was 6.7% fewer than in 2023 (135) and the fewest since 2020. The death rate was 12.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.5 in the United States. Delaware had the 44th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 24th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 22% of deaths, and 23% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

12.0

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024

  • About the same as the rate in the United States: 11.5

-7%

change in deaths from 2023 to 2024

135 deaths in 2023, 126 in 2024

  • The United States: -4%
Traffic deaths by year, 1975–2024
Category Deaths Fatal crashes
1975 122 105
1976 116 104
1977 119 103
1978 125 112
1979 118 109
1980 153 135
1981 111 103
1982 122 115
1983 110 98
1984 130 118
1985 104 94
1986 136 119
1987 146 131
1988 160 143
1989 116 108
1990 138 121
1991 102 90
1992 140 118
1993 110 103
1994 112 105
1995 121 112
1996 116 105
1997 143 120
1998 115 106
1999 100 91
2000 123 116
2001 136 117
2002 124 114
2003 142 133
2004 134 125
2005 133 117
2006 148 133
2007 117 105
2008 121 105
2009 116 101
2010 101 92
2011 99 94
2012 114 108
2013 99 94
2014 124 109
2015 131 127
2016 119 116
2017 119 112
2018 111 104
2019 132 122
2020 116 104
2021 136 132
2022 162 143
2023 135 128
2024 126 121

People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.

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Deaths per 100,000 residents, 2000–2024
Category Deaths per 100,000
2000 15.6
2001 17.1
2002 15.4
2003 17.4
2004 16.1
2005 15.7
2006 17.2
2007 13.4
2008 13.7
2009 13.0
2010 11.2
2011 10.9
2012 12.5
2013 10.7
2014 13.3
2015 13.9
2016 12.5
2017 12.4
2018 11.5
2019 13.6
2020 11.7
2021 13.5
2022 15.9
2023 13.0
2024 12.0

Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.

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

Road users

Who died

22%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2024
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 71
Pedestrians 28
Motorcyclists 22
Cyclists 5
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Deaths by type, 2024
Type Deaths Share in Delaware Share in the US
Pedestrians 28 22% 18%
Motorcyclists 22 17% 16%
Cyclists 5 4% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 32 25% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 31 25% 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

23%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 28%

21%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 25%
Crash factors in 2024
Category Delaware United States
Speeding-related 20.7% 24.8%
Alcohol-involved 23.1% 28.1%
At night 62.0% 53.6%
At weekends 29.8% 32.6%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

62%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 54%

30%

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 22
1am 25
2am 19
3am 15
4am 10
5am 18
6am 21
7am 24
8am 16
9am 13
10am 14
11am 13
12pm 18
1pm 19
2pm 28
3pm 31
4pm 31
5pm 47
6pm 44
7pm 29
8pm 43
9pm 49
10pm 38
11pm 39

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 89
Mon 78
Tue 76
Wed 97
Thu 73
Fri 105
Sat 110

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 43
Feb 48
Mar 40
Apr 55
May 63
Jun 51
Jul 47
Aug 51
Sep 67
Oct 61
Nov 46
Dec 56

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 455
Cloudy 113
Rain 47
Fog, Smog, Smoke 8
Other 1
Snow 1

All crashes 2020–2024. 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 258
Dark - Not Lighted 219
Dark - Lighted 95
Dawn 20
Dark - Unknown Lighting 19
Dusk 15

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

  1. US-1338
  2. SR-125
  3. I-9520
  4. I-49513
  5. US-113 DUPONT BLVD12
  6. SR-1 COASTAL HWY10
  7. US-40 PULASKI HWY10
  8. US-13 S DUPONT HWY9
  9. US-409
  10. US-1139

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 426
SUVs 225
Pickup trucks 120
Motorcycles 97
Medium and heavy trucks 67
Vans 27
Other vehicles 18
Buses 4
Other light trucks 2

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Honda Accord34
  2. Chevrolet Silverado25
  3. Nissan Altima25
  4. Honda Civic23
  5. Toyota Corolla22
  6. Ford F-15020
  7. Toyota Camry20
  8. Jeep Grand Cherokee18
  9. Freightliner Cascadia15
  10. Chevrolet Malibu13

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
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Oct 10, 2024 Georgetown, Sussex County 1
Oct 6, 2024 Sussex County 2
Oct 5, 2024 Dover, Kent County 1
Oct 4, 2024 New Castle County 1
Sep 30, 2024 New Castle County 1
Sep 27, 2024 Kent County 1
Sep 22, 2024 New Castle, New Castle County 1
Sep 20, 2024 Kent County 1
Sep 18, 2024 Bear, New Castle County 1
Sep 17, 2024 New Castle, New Castle County 1
Sep 17, 2024 Kent County 1
Sep 16, 2024 New Castle County 1
Sep 2, 2024 Wilmington, New Castle County 1
Aug 31, 2024 New Castle County 1
Aug 27, 2024 Kent County 1
Aug 27, 2024 Newark, New Castle County 1
Aug 22, 2024 New Castle County 2
Aug 18, 2024 New Castle County 2
Aug 16, 2024 Kent County 1
Aug 15, 2024 Seaford, Sussex County 1
Aug 10, 2024 New Castle County 1
Aug 6, 2024 New Castle County 1
Aug 2, 2024 Milford, Sussex County 1
Aug 2, 2024 Sussex County 1
Jul 29, 2024 Lewes, Sussex County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in Delaware

Area Deaths, 2024 Per 100,000
Kent County 30 15.6
New Castle County 61 10.4
Sussex County 35 12.9

Cities

Cities with at least 10 fatal crashes across the loaded years are listed.

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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.