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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2020 | Berea, Madison County | SR-21 | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Daviess County | SR-1554 RAMP | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Clay County | SR-80 | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | US-31W | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Wilder, Campbell County | SR-9 | 2 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-864 | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Harlan County | SR-38 | 1 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | Graves County | CR-ALTON RD | 1 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | Washington County | SR-55 | 1 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | Laurel County | CR-WINDING BLADE RD | 1 |
| Jul 17, 2020 | Harrison County | SR-32 | 1 |
| Jul 17, 2020 | Laurel County | CR-HOPPER CREEK RD | 1 |
| Jul 17, 2020 | Barren County | SR-9008 | 1 |
| Jul 16, 2020 | Perry County | CR-BROWNS FORK RD | 1 |
| Jul 16, 2020 | Somerset, Pulaski County | SR-914 | 1 |
| Jul 16, 2020 | Casey County | SR-70 | 1 |
| Jul 15, 2020 | Lewis County | SR-9 | 1 |
| Jul 15, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-65 | 1 |
| Jul 14, 2020 | Elizabethtown, Hardin County | US-62 | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2020 | McCracken County | US-60 | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2020 | Hopkins County | SR-138 | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2020 | Whitley County | CR-MAPLE CREEK RD | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2020 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-64 | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2020 | Oldham County | SR-22 | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2020 | Letcher County | SR-7 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky in 2020
Rankings
Get updates for Kentucky
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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.