Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Iowa in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 356
- Fatal crashes
- 329
- Population
- 3.2M
In 2021, 356 people died in 329 fatal crashes in Iowa. That was 3.8% more than in 2020 (343) and the most since 2016. The death rate was 11.1 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Iowa had the 34th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 34th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 8% of deaths, and 23% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
8%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About half the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 247 |
| Pedestrians | 30 |
| Motorcyclists | 68 |
| Cyclists | 11 |
Embed
| Type | Deaths | Share in Iowa | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 30 | 8% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 68 | 19% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 11 | 3% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 120 | 34% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 84 | 24% | 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 85 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
25%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 25.2% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 23.4% | 28.2% |
| At night | 44.7% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 28.6% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
Embed
Timing
When crashes happen
45%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 54%
29%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 6 |
| 1am | 7 |
| 2am | 8 |
| 3am | 10 |
| 4am | 8 |
| 5am | 15 |
| 6am | 7 |
| 7am | 15 |
| 8am | 17 |
| 9am | 9 |
| 10am | 15 |
| 11am | 13 |
| 12pm | 14 |
| 1pm | 18 |
| 2pm | 20 |
| 3pm | 17 |
| 4pm | 20 |
| 5pm | 17 |
| 6pm | 17 |
| 7pm | 10 |
| 8pm | 18 |
| 9pm | 19 |
| 10pm | 12 |
| 11pm | 17 |
All crashes 2021.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 48 |
| Mon | 51 |
| Tue | 38 |
| Wed | 50 |
| Thu | 44 |
| Fri | 52 |
| Sat | 46 |
All crashes 2021.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 14 |
| Feb | 12 |
| Mar | 17 |
| Apr | 28 |
| May | 38 |
| Jun | 32 |
| Jul | 31 |
| Aug | 38 |
| Sep | 35 |
| Oct | 33 |
| Nov | 26 |
| Dec | 25 |
All crashes 2021.
Embed
Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 252 |
| Cloudy | 49 |
| Rain | 13 |
| Snow | 3 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 3 |
| Freezing Rain or Drizzle | 3 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 179 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 92 |
| Dark - Lighted | 34 |
| Dusk | 14 |
| Dawn | 9 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 1 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2021
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-8013
- I-358
- US-306
- US-615
- US-635
- SR-144
- US-204
- I-293
- SR-23
- US-1513
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 155 |
| Pickup trucks | 79 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 76 |
| SUVs | 71 |
| Motorcycles | 68 |
| Vans | 28 |
| Other vehicles | 12 |
| Buses | 2 |
All crashes 2021.
Embed
Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado19
- Ford F-15018
- Freightliner Cascadia14
- Chevrolet Malibu10
- Chevrolet Equinox8
- Chevrolet Impala8
- Dodge Grand Caravan8
- Ford Fusion8
- Dodge Ram7
- Ford Explorer7
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.
Fatal crashes in 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2021 | Bremer County | US-218/SR-27/EASTON AVE | 1 |
| May 27, 2021 | Polk County | I-80 | 1 |
| May 26, 2021 | Pottawattamie County | I-80 | 1 |
| May 25, 2021 | Des Moines, Polk County | US-69/JOHNSON CT | 1 |
| May 25, 2021 | Johnston, Polk County | MERLE HAY RD | 1 |
| May 24, 2021 | Jones County | US-151 | 1 |
| May 24, 2021 | Muscatine, Muscatine County | US-61/SR-92/GRANDVIEW AVE | 1 |
| May 24, 2021 | Tiffin, Johnson County | JACKSON ST | 1 |
| May 23, 2021 | Des Moines, Polk County | 12TH ST | 2 |
| May 19, 2021 | Cedar County | SR-38 | 1 |
| May 19, 2021 | Worth County | I-35 | 1 |
| May 16, 2021 | Black Hawk County | E MT VERNON RD | 1 |
| May 16, 2021 | Muscatine, Muscatine County | US-61/GRANDVIEW AVE | 1 |
| May 15, 2021 | Spencer, Clay County | US-71/71ST AVE SW | 1 |
| May 15, 2021 | Crawford County | US-59/SR-141/260TH ST | 1 |
| May 14, 2021 | Dike, Grundy County | COUNTRY CLUB LN | 1 |
| May 13, 2021 | Des Moines, Polk County | HUBBELL AVE | 1 |
| May 13, 2021 | Winneshiek County | CR-A34/POLE LINE RD | 1 |
| May 12, 2021 | Jones County | SR-136 | 1 |
| May 11, 2021 | Sioux City, Woodbury County | N MARTHA ST | 1 |
| May 10, 2021 | Des Moines, Polk County | 19TH ST | 1 |
| May 8, 2021 | West Des Moines, Polk County | I-35 | 1 |
| May 5, 2021 | Winnebago County | US-69/SR-9/170TH AVE | 1 |
| May 4, 2021 | Washington, Washington County | E 3RD ST | 1 |
| May 4, 2021 | Lee County | US-218/SR-27 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Iowa in 2021
Rankings
Get updates for Iowa
We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for Iowa, usually about once a year. We'll send a link to confirm your address first. No tracking and no sharing, and every email has a link to unsubscribe.
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.