Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Kentucky in 2020
State in United States
- Deaths, 2020
- 780
- Fatal crashes
- 709
- Population
- 4.5M
In 2020, 780 people died in 709 fatal crashes in Kentucky, about 2 a day. The death rate was 17.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.8 in the United States. Kentucky had the 19th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 10th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 12% of deaths, and 20% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
12%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 592 |
| Pedestrians | 91 |
| Motorcyclists | 92 |
| Cyclists | 5 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Kentucky | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 91 | 12% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 92 | 12% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 5 | 1% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 199 | 26% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 162 | 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
20%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 29%
27%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 27%
| Category | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 26.9% | 26.7% |
| Alcohol-involved | 19.9% | 28.6% |
| At night | 49.4% | 53.4% |
| At weekends | 31.5% | 32.9% |
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: 53%
31%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 24 |
| 1am | 24 |
| 2am | 13 |
| 3am | 16 |
| 4am | 19 |
| 5am | 27 |
| 6am | 26 |
| 7am | 22 |
| 8am | 24 |
| 9am | 21 |
| 10am | 16 |
| 11am | 19 |
| 12pm | 38 |
| 1pm | 34 |
| 2pm | 56 |
| 3pm | 41 |
| 4pm | 28 |
| 5pm | 33 |
| 6pm | 49 |
| 7pm | 34 |
| 8pm | 32 |
| 9pm | 43 |
| 10pm | 30 |
| 11pm | 39 |
All crashes 2020.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 94 |
| Mon | 84 |
| Tue | 82 |
| Wed | 98 |
| Thu | 100 |
| Fri | 122 |
| Sat | 129 |
All crashes 2020.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 42 |
| Feb | 39 |
| Mar | 45 |
| Apr | 47 |
| May | 52 |
| Jun | 69 |
| Jul | 81 |
| Aug | 94 |
| Sep | 52 |
| Oct | 67 |
| Nov | 58 |
| Dec | 63 |
All crashes 2020.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 473 |
| Cloudy | 131 |
| Rain | 85 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 9 |
| Snow | 7 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 1 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 362 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 217 |
| Dark - Lighted | 78 |
| Dawn | 20 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 15 |
| Dusk | 14 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-6519
- US-6019
- I-7516
- I-6415
- US-2515
- US-6212
- US-6811
- US-2711
- US-3111
- SR-1510
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 408 |
| SUVs | 186 |
| Pickup trucks | 180 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 114 |
| Motorcycles | 92 |
| Other vehicles | 46 |
| Vans | 45 |
| Other light trucks | 2 |
| Buses | 1 |
All crashes 2020.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado36
- Ford F-15032
- Toyota Camry22
- Chevrolet Malibu21
- Honda Civic21
- Chevrolet Impala19
- Toyota Corolla18
- Ford Focus17
- GMC Sierra16
- Freightliner Cascadia15
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 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2020 | Breckinridge County | CR-IRON ORE HILL RD | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Nicholasville, Jessamine County | US-27 | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Ohio County | US-62 | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | S 15TH ST | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Clay County | CR- PAW PAW RD | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Lebanon, Marion County | HOOD AVE | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-265 | 1 |
| Dec 28, 2020 | Florence, Boone County | SR-18 | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | US-60 | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-61 | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2020 | Henry County | SR-153 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2020 | Marshall County | CR-BURGE ISLAND RD | 1 |
| Dec 24, 2020 | Bath County | SR-11 | 2 |
| Dec 22, 2020 | Hart County | US-31W | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Fulton, Fulton County | US-45 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Laurel County | SR-3431 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County | TATES CREEK CENTRE DR | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2020 | Mason County | SR-9 | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-64 RAMP | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2020 | Bell County | US-25 | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | US-60A | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2020 | Estill County | SR-594 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2020 | Mason County | SR-3056 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2020 | Shively, Jefferson County | SR-1931 | 1 |
| Dec 16, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1932 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky in 2020
Rankings
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.