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 |
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 94 |
| Mon | 84 |
| Tue | 82 |
| Wed | 98 |
| Thu | 100 |
| Fri | 122 |
| Sat | 129 |
All crashes 2020.
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
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
The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.
Fatal crashes in 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2020 | Corbin, Whitley County | US-25W | 1 |
| Sep 7, 2020 | Highland Heights, Campbell County | I-275 | 1 |
| Sep 6, 2020 | Clay County | SR-11 | 1 |
| Sep 6, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-64 | 3 |
| Sep 5, 2020 | Clay County | SR-11 | 1 |
| Sep 4, 2020 | Henry County | US-421 | 1 |
| Sep 4, 2020 | Covington, Kenton County | I-275 | 1 |
| Sep 3, 2020 | Christian County | SR-9004 | 1 |
| Sep 3, 2020 | Olive Hill, Carter County | SR-174 | 1 |
| Sep 3, 2020 | Pulaski County | CR-OLD WHITNEY RD | 1 |
| Sep 3, 2020 | Barren County | SR-9008 | 1 |
| Sep 2, 2020 | Calloway County | SR-80 | 1 |
| Sep 2, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-155 | 1 |
| Sep 1, 2020 | Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County | SR-4 | 1 |
| Sep 1, 2020 | Muhlenberg County | US-431 | 1 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | Mayking, Letcher County | US-119 | 1 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | Radcliff, Hardin County | US-31 | 1 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-65 | 1 |
| Aug 30, 2020 | Pikeville, Pike County | US-23 | 1 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | Bledsoe, Harlan County | US-421 | 1 |
| Aug 29, 2020 | Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County | US-60 | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2020 | Prospect, Jefferson County | US-42 | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2020 | Laurel County | SR-3435 | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2020 | Boone County | US-42 | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Catlettsburg, Boyd County | SR-168 | 2 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky in 2020
Rankings
Get updates for Kentucky
We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for Kentucky, 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), 2020. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.