Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Kentucky in 2023
State in United States
- Deaths, 2023
- 814
- Fatal crashes
- 767
- Population
- 4.5M
In 2023, 814 people died in 767 fatal crashes in Kentucky, about 2 a day. That was 9.4% more than in 2022 (744) and the most since 2016. The death rate was 17.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.2 in the United States. Kentucky had the 18th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 9th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 15% of deaths, and 14% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
15%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 571 |
| Pedestrians | 121 |
| Motorcyclists | 106 |
| Cyclists | 16 |
Embed
| Type | Deaths | Share in Kentucky | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 121 | 15% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists | 106 | 13% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 16 | 2% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 192 | 24% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 119 | 15% | 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
14%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About half the share in the United States: 28%
25%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 25.0% | 25.6% |
| Alcohol-involved | 14.3% | 28.2% |
| At night | 46.9% | 54.1% |
| At weekends | 30.0% | 33.5% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
Embed
Timing
When crashes happen
47%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 54%
30%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 90 percent of the share in the United States: 34%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 20 |
| 1am | 22 |
| 2am | 28 |
| 3am | 18 |
| 4am | 14 |
| 5am | 23 |
| 6am | 24 |
| 7am | 23 |
| 8am | 16 |
| 9am | 34 |
| 10am | 15 |
| 11am | 25 |
| 12pm | 35 |
| 1pm | 30 |
| 2pm | 42 |
| 3pm | 49 |
| 4pm | 52 |
| 5pm | 61 |
| 6pm | 45 |
| 7pm | 32 |
| 8pm | 42 |
| 9pm | 43 |
| 10pm | 36 |
| 11pm | 37 |
All crashes 2023.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 119 |
| Mon | 103 |
| Tue | 95 |
| Wed | 92 |
| Thu | 112 |
| Fri | 135 |
| Sat | 111 |
All crashes 2023.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 57 |
| Feb | 48 |
| Mar | 44 |
| Apr | 65 |
| May | 66 |
| Jun | 64 |
| Jul | 64 |
| Aug | 89 |
| Sep | 71 |
| Oct | 65 |
| Nov | 69 |
| Dec | 65 |
All crashes 2023.
Embed
Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 553 |
| Cloudy | 137 |
| Rain | 57 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 9 |
| Snow | 2 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 2 |
All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 402 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 206 |
| Dark - Lighted | 105 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 20 |
| Dusk | 17 |
| Dawn | 16 |
All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2023
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- US-6013
- I-6511
- US-2310
- I-2649
- I-759
- US-31 DIXIE HWY9
- SR-928
- US-278
- US-428
- US-1277
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 404 |
| SUVs | 231 |
| Pickup trucks | 219 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 114 |
| Motorcycles | 110 |
| Vans | 35 |
| Other vehicles | 34 |
| Buses | 4 |
| Other light trucks | 3 |
All crashes 2023.
Embed
Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado39
- Ford F-15031
- Dodge Ram27
- Toyota Camry27
- Freightliner Cascadia19
- Ford Escape17
- Ford Focus17
- GMC Sierra17
- Nissan Altima17
- Ford Ranger16
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 2023. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2023 | Owensboro, Daviess County | MARTIN LUTHER KING JR LOOP | 1 |
| Apr 20, 2023 | Logan County | US-68 BOWLING GREEN RD | 1 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | Bath County | SR-1602 | 1 |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1865 TAYLOR BLVD | 1 |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Grayson County | SR-54 OWENSBORO RD | 1 |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Wayne County | SR-90 | 2 |
| Apr 16, 2023 | Danville, Boyle County | US-150 W MAIN ST | 1 |
| Apr 16, 2023 | Madison County | I-75 | 1 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Jefferson County | I-264 | 1 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Marshall County | SR-402 AURORA HWY | 1 |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Barren County | CR-COLESBEND RD | 1 |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Warren County | US-68 GLASGOW RD | 1 |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-64 | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2023 | Summit, Boyd County | US-60 | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2023 | Allen County | US-231 VETERANS MEMORIAL HWY | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2023 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-2054 ALGONQUIN PKWY | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2023 | Woodford County | US-62 MIDWAY RD | 1 |
| Apr 12, 2023 | Bourbon County | US-27 CYNTHIANA RD | 1 |
| Apr 12, 2023 | Union, Boone County | MU-BRAXTON DR | 1 |
| Apr 12, 2023 | Prestonsburg, Floyd County | US-23 | 1 |
| Apr 12, 2023 | Owensboro, Daviess County | US-60 WENDELL FORD EXPY | 1 |
| Apr 11, 2023 | Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County | POLO CLUB BLVD | 1 |
| Apr 11, 2023 | Somerset, Pulaski County | SR-461 | 1 |
| Apr 11, 2023 | Calloway County | CR-OLD NEWBURG RD | 1 |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Murray, Calloway County | US-641 S 12TH ST | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky in 2023
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), 2023. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.