Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Kentucky in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 806
- Fatal crashes
- 734
- Population
- 4.5M
In 2021, 806 people died in 734 fatal crashes in Kentucky, about 2 a day. That was 3.3% more than in 2020 (780) and the most since 2016. The death rate was 17.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Kentucky had the 19th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 11th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 9% of deaths, and 17% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
9%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About half the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 613 |
| Pedestrians | 75 |
| Motorcyclists | 108 |
| Cyclists | 10 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Kentucky | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 75 | 9% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 108 | 13% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 10 | 1% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 188 | 23% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 143 | 18% | 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
17%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 60 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
27%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 26.6% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 17.3% | 28.2% |
| At night | 43.3% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 29.3% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
43%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 54%
29%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 90 percent of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 27 |
| 1am | 25 |
| 2am | 21 |
| 3am | 15 |
| 4am | 15 |
| 5am | 12 |
| 6am | 25 |
| 7am | 25 |
| 8am | 20 |
| 9am | 28 |
| 10am | 32 |
| 11am | 27 |
| 12pm | 34 |
| 1pm | 37 |
| 2pm | 46 |
| 3pm | 46 |
| 4pm | 53 |
| 5pm | 42 |
| 6pm | 44 |
| 7pm | 42 |
| 8pm | 32 |
| 9pm | 32 |
| 10pm | 31 |
| 11pm | 22 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 111 |
| Mon | 113 |
| Tue | 93 |
| Wed | 106 |
| Thu | 95 |
| Fri | 112 |
| Sat | 104 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 46 |
| Feb | 48 |
| Mar | 53 |
| Apr | 63 |
| May | 67 |
| Jun | 61 |
| Jul | 63 |
| Aug | 71 |
| Sep | 72 |
| Oct | 72 |
| Nov | 68 |
| Dec | 50 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 490 |
| Cloudy | 140 |
| Rain | 73 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 11 |
| Snow | 9 |
| Other | 2 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 425 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 199 |
| Dark - Lighted | 70 |
| Dusk | 15 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 11 |
| Dawn | 11 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2021
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-6522
- I-6419
- SR-1512
- US-6012
- US-2711
- I-7510
- US-239
- I-718
- US-427
- US-4217
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 408 |
| Pickup trucks | 225 |
| SUVs | 214 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 131 |
| Motorcycles | 106 |
| Other vehicles | 42 |
| Vans | 32 |
| Buses | 5 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado54
- Ford F-15045
- Nissan Altima22
- Toyota Camry20
- Ford Explorer19
- Ford Ranger17
- GMC Sierra17
- Chevrolet Equinox16
- Chevrolet Malibu16
- Freightliner Cascadia16
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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 2021 | Magoffin County | US-460 | 1 |
| Aug 3, 2021 | Hardin County | SR-86 HARDINSBURG RD | 1 |
| Aug 3, 2021 | Paducah, McCracken County | I-24 | 1 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | Pine Knot, McCreary County | LAUREL CEMETERY RD | 1 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | Murray, Calloway County | US-641 N 12TH ST | 1 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | McCracken County | US-60 CLARKS RIVER RD | 5 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | McCracken County | US-60 | 2 |
| Aug 2, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1747 FERN VALLEY RD | 1 |
| Jul 31, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | UPPER HUNTERS TRC | 1 |
| Jul 31, 2021 | Nicholasville, Jessamine County | US-27 NICHOLASVILLE RD | 1 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Bath County | I-64 | 1 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Dry Ridge, Grant County | SR-22 TAFT HWY | 1 |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Hardin County | CR-MELTON AVE | 1 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | Perryville, Boyle County | US-150 | 1 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | Prestonsburg, Floyd County | US-23 | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2021 | Henderson County | SR-359 | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County | US-25 | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | Barren County | SR-70 HISEVILLE MAIN ST | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | Warren County | I-65 WILLIAM N NATCHER PKWY | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-71 NORTH | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2021 | Princeton, Caldwell County | W WASHINGTON ST | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2021 | Pikeville, Pike County | US-23 S MAYO TRL | 2 |
| Jul 25, 2021 | Henderson County | SR-9005 AUDUBIN PKWY | 1 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | Marion County | SR-243 | 1 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | Henderson County | US-60 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky in 2021
Rankings
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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.