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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2021 | Shepherdsville, Bullitt County | I-65 | 1 |
| Mar 22, 2021 | Paintsville, Johnson County | EUCLID AVE | 1 |
| Mar 22, 2021 | Menifee County | SR-1274 | 1 |
| Mar 22, 2021 | McCracken County | SR-305 CAIRO ROAD | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Breckinridge County | SR-2202 LUNEY RD | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Nelson County | US-31 NEW HAVEN ROAD | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-841 GENE SNYDER FREEWAY | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Baxter, Harlan County | CR- CEDAR PARK DR | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Cumberland County | SR-704 | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Laurel County | I-75 | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Fleming County | SR-32 Elizaville Road | 1 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | Henderson, Henderson County | US-41 EDWARD BREATHITT PARKWAY | 1 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | Evarts, Harlan County | SR-38 | 2 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | McLean County | SR-81 | 3 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County | SR-0004 E NEW CIRCLE ROAD | 1 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Trimble County | US-421 HIGHWAY 421 NORTH | 1 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Somerset, Pulaski County | SR-80 Hal Rogers Parkway | 1 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | HIKES LN | 1 |
| Mar 16, 2021 | Lincoln County | US-27 | 1 |
| Mar 15, 2021 | Richmond, Madison County | SR-876 EASTERN BYPASS | 1 |
| Mar 15, 2021 | Adair County | SR-9008 CUMBERLAND PARKWAY | 1 |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Monticello, Wayne County | SR-90X N MAIN ST | 1 |
| Mar 10, 2021 | Bardstown, Nelson County | SR-245 NEW SHEPHERDSVILLE RD | 1 |
| Mar 9, 2021 | Louisville, Jefferson County | US-31W DIXIE HIGHWAY | 1 |
| Mar 8, 2021 | Carter County | I-64 | 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.