Fatal crash profile · City

Traffic deaths in Topeka, Kansas

City in Shawnee County · Kansas · United States

Deaths, 2024
11
Fatal crashes
10
Population
125.7K

In 2024, 11 people died in 10 fatal crashes in Topeka, Kansas. That was 57.1% more than in 2023 (7) and the most since 2021. The death rate was 8.8 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.5 in Shawnee County, 11.4 in Kansas and 11.5 in the United States. Between 2020 and 2024, 56 people died, an average of 11 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year. Pedestrians accounted for 27% of deaths, and 40% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

8.8

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024

  • About two-thirds of the rate in Shawnee County, Kansas: 13.5
  • About three-quarters of the rate in Kansas: 11.4
  • About three-quarters of the rate in the United States: 11.5

+57%

change in deaths from 2023 to 2024

7 deaths in 2023, 11 in 2024

  • Shawnee County, Kansas: +100%
  • Kansas: -12%
  • The United States: -4%
Traffic deaths by year, 2020–2024
Category Deaths Fatal crashes
2020 11 11
2021 18 17
2022 9 8
2023 7 7
2024 11 10

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, 2020–2024
Category Deaths per 100,000
2020 8.7
2021 14.3
2022 7.2
2023 5.6
2024 8.8

Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.

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Road users

Who died

27%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 1.6 times the share in Shawnee County, Kansas: 17%
  • About 3 times the share in Kansas: 10%
  • About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2024
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 4
Pedestrians 3
Motorcyclists 4
Cyclists 0
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Deaths by type, 2024
Type Deaths Share in Topeka Share in Shawnee County
Pedestrians 3 27% 17%
Motorcyclists 4 36% 21%
Cyclists 0 0% 0%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 2 18% 33%
Speeding-related crashes 5 45% 33%

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

40%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.3 times the share in Shawnee County, Kansas: 30%
  • About double the share in Kansas: 20%
  • About 1.4 times the share in the United States: 28%

10%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 40 percent of the share in Shawnee County, Kansas: 26%
  • About 30 percent of the share in Kansas: 35%
  • About 40 percent of the share in the United States: 25%
Crash factors in 2024
Category Topeka Shawnee County Kansas United States
Speeding-related 10.0% 26.1% 35.4% 24.8%
Alcohol-involved 40.0% 30.4% 20.1% 28.1%
At night 60.0% 52.2% 51.0% 53.6%
At weekends 30.0% 30.4% 32.5% 32.6%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

60%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About 1.2 times the share in Shawnee County, Kansas: 52%
  • About 1.2 times the share in Kansas: 51%
  • About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 54%

30%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in Shawnee County, Kansas: 30%
  • About the same as the share in Kansas: 32%
  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 1
1am 1
2am 1
3am 2
4am 0
5am 5
6am 1
7am 2
8am 2
9am 2
10am 1
11am 1
12pm 1
1pm 1
2pm 4
3pm 2
4pm 1
5pm 5
6pm 3
7pm 1
8pm 4
9pm 2
10pm 6
11pm 4

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 10
Mon 6
Tue 5
Wed 12
Thu 6
Fri 5
Sat 9

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 3
Feb 5
Mar 4
Apr 3
May 3
Jun 3
Jul 6
Aug 3
Sep 7
Oct 2
Nov 4
Dec 10

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 3
Cloudy 1
Rain 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
Dark - Lighted 21
Daylight 20
Dark - Not Lighted 7
Dusk 3
Dawn 2

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. I-4704
  2. I-704
  3. SE ADAMS ST3
  4. TOPEKA BLVD3
  5. SW 10TH AVE2
  6. S KANSAS AVE2
  7. SE 29TH ST2
  8. SW FAIRLAWN RD2
  9. SW GAGE BLVD2
  10. SW HUNTOON ST2

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 29
SUVs 15
Motorcycles 15
Pickup trucks 11
Medium and heavy trucks 6
Other vehicles 4
Vans 3

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Chevrolet Impala4
  2. Toyota Camry4
  3. Chevrolet Equinox3
  4. Kia Soul2
  5. Harley Davidson Street Glide 1032
  6. Freightliner Cascadia2
  7. Ford F-1502
  8. Chevrolet Silverado2
  9. Ford Escape1
  10. Dodge Ram1

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.

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Crash factors
Date Deaths
Dec 18, 2024 1
Dec 13, 2024 1
Dec 8, 2024 1
Nov 21, 2024 1
Nov 20, 2024 1
Aug 1, 2024 1
Jul 27, 2024 2
May 7, 2024 1
Feb 25, 2024 1
Jan 29, 2024 1
Dec 20, 2023 1
Oct 30, 2023 1
Sep 2, 2023 1
May 24, 2023 1
Apr 22, 2023 1
Feb 19, 2023 1
Jan 19, 2023 1
Dec 25, 2022 1
Dec 4, 2022 2
Oct 5, 2022 1
Sep 1, 2022 1
Jul 6, 2022 1
Jun 6, 2022 1
May 15, 2022 1
Mar 19, 2022 1

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Explore

Nearby and related

Compare Topeka with another place

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.