Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Kentucky
State in United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 707
- Fatal crashes
- 663
- Population
- 4.6M
In 2024, 707 people died in 663 fatal crashes in Kentucky. That was 13.1% fewer than in 2023 (814) and the fewest since 2014. The death rate was 15.4 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.5 in the United States. Kentucky had the 21st most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 13th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 13% of deaths, and 13% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
15.4
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.3 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
-13%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
814 deaths in 2023, 707 in 2024
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 863 | 751 |
| 1976 | 854 | 748 |
| 1977 | 940 | 796 |
| 1978 | 878 | 772 |
| 1979 | 896 | 795 |
| 1980 | 820 | 746 |
| 1981 | 812 | 720 |
| 1982 | 822 | 726 |
| 1983 | 778 | 690 |
| 1984 | 754 | 674 |
| 1985 | 712 | 624 |
| 1986 | 805 | 723 |
| 1987 | 844 | 768 |
| 1988 | 838 | 717 |
| 1989 | 772 | 686 |
| 1990 | 849 | 753 |
| 1991 | 826 | 722 |
| 1992 | 815 | 718 |
| 1993 | 871 | 761 |
| 1994 | 778 | 693 |
| 1995 | 849 | 732 |
| 1996 | 842 | 734 |
| 1997 | 857 | 774 |
| 1998 | 858 | 766 |
| 1999 | 814 | 724 |
| 2000 | 820 | 721 |
| 2001 | 845 | 762 |
| 2002 | 915 | 810 |
| 2003 | 928 | 845 |
| 2004 | 964 | 854 |
| 2005 | 985 | 885 |
| 2006 | 913 | 837 |
| 2007 | 864 | 803 |
| 2008 | 825 | 751 |
| 2009 | 791 | 730 |
| 2010 | 760 | 694 |
| 2011 | 720 | 669 |
| 2012 | 746 | 694 |
| 2013 | 638 | 590 |
| 2014 | 672 | 612 |
| 2015 | 761 | 694 |
| 2016 | 834 | 763 |
| 2017 | 782 | 721 |
| 2018 | 724 | 664 |
| 2019 | 732 | 667 |
| 2020 | 780 | 709 |
| 2021 | 806 | 734 |
| 2022 | 744 | 693 |
| 2023 | 814 | 767 |
| 2024 | 707 | 663 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 20.3 |
| 2001 | 20.8 |
| 2002 | 22.4 |
| 2003 | 22.5 |
| 2004 | 23.3 |
| 2005 | 23.6 |
| 2006 | 21.6 |
| 2007 | 20.3 |
| 2008 | 19.2 |
| 2009 | 18.3 |
| 2010 | 17.5 |
| 2011 | 16.5 |
| 2012 | 17.0 |
| 2013 | 14.5 |
| 2014 | 15.2 |
| 2015 | 17.2 |
| 2016 | 18.8 |
| 2017 | 17.6 |
| 2018 | 16.2 |
| 2019 | 16.4 |
| 2020 | 17.3 |
| 2021 | 17.9 |
| 2022 | 16.5 |
| 2023 | 17.9 |
| 2024 | 15.4 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
13%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 483 |
| Pedestrians | 95 |
| Motorcyclists | 118 |
| Cyclists | 11 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Kentucky | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 95 | 13% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists | 118 | 17% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 11 | 2% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 169 | 24% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 94 | 13% | 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
13%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About half the share in the United States: 28%
26%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 25.8% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 13.0% | 28.1% |
| At night | 48.1% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 32.0% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
48%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 90 percent of the share in the United States: 54%
32%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 115 |
| 1am | 105 |
| 2am | 98 |
| 3am | 80 |
| 4am | 76 |
| 5am | 100 |
| 6am | 131 |
| 7am | 116 |
| 8am | 106 |
| 9am | 113 |
| 10am | 101 |
| 11am | 121 |
| 12pm | 170 |
| 1pm | 176 |
| 2pm | 217 |
| 3pm | 211 |
| 4pm | 221 |
| 5pm | 214 |
| 6pm | 211 |
| 7pm | 190 |
| 8pm | 196 |
| 9pm | 182 |
| 10pm | 160 |
| 11pm | 153 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 526 |
| Mon | 475 |
| Tue | 459 |
| Wed | 492 |
| Thu | 499 |
| Fri | 572 |
| Sat | 543 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 241 |
| Feb | 216 |
| Mar | 264 |
| Apr | 278 |
| May | 304 |
| Jun | 315 |
| Jul | 335 |
| Aug | 375 |
| Sep | 326 |
| Oct | 340 |
| Nov | 308 |
| Dec | 264 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 2,492 |
| Cloudy | 638 |
| Rain | 323 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 45 |
| Snow | 26 |
| Other | 6 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,905 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 1,023 |
| Dark - Lighted | 406 |
| Dusk | 81 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 76 |
| Dawn | 66 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-6583
- I-7565
- I-6464
- US-6060
- US-2753
- US-2343
- US-4233
- US-12731
- SR-1530
- US-6830
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 1,976 |
| SUVs | 1,041 |
| Pickup trucks | 1,015 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 548 |
| Motorcycles | 530 |
| Other vehicles | 178 |
| Vans | 177 |
| Buses | 18 |
| Other light trucks | 7 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado215
- Ford F-150174
- Toyota Camry120
- Freightliner Cascadia83
- GMC Sierra78
- Dodge Ram78
- Nissan Altima75
- Chevrolet Malibu73
- Ford Escape72
- Toyota Corolla70
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 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2022 | Grant County | SR-330 CORNITH RD | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | Benton, Marshall County | US-641 | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | Russell County | SR-80 | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | Prestonsburg, Floyd County | US-23 | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | Elkhorn City, Pike County | SR-197 W RUSSEL ST | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2022 | Laurel County | CR- SLATE LICK CHURCH RD | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2022 | Inez, Martin County | SR-40 BLACKLOG RD | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2022 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1865 NEW CUT RD | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Perry County | SR-9006 | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1747 HURTBOURNE PKWY | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Jeffersonville, Montgomery County | US-460 MAIN ST | 1 |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Marion County | SR-426 MILLER PIKE | 1 |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Louisville, Jefferson County | I-65 | 1 |
| Sep 23, 2022 | Taylor County | SR-323 BENGAL RD | 1 |
| Sep 22, 2022 | Henderson County | US-41 | 1 |
| Sep 21, 2022 | Hart County | US-31 DIXIE HWY | 1 |
| Sep 20, 2022 | Wolfe County | SR-746 | 1 |
| Sep 20, 2022 | Barren County | SR-90 HAPPY VALLEY RD | 3 |
| Sep 20, 2022 | Madison County | SR-627 BOONESBOROUGH RD | 1 |
| Sep 19, 2022 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1747 S HURSTBOURNE PKWY | 1 |
| Sep 19, 2022 | Boone County | SR-237 N BEND RD | 1 |
| Sep 18, 2022 | Louisville, Jefferson County | SR-1065 OUTER LOOP | 1 |
| Sep 18, 2022 | Crittenden, Grant County | US-25 | 1 |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Villa Hills, Kenton County | SR-2373 BROMLEY CRESCENT SPGS | 1 |
| Sep 17, 2022 | Breckinridge County | SR-86 LODIBURG RD | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Kentucky
Cities
Cities with at least 10 fatal crashes across the loaded years are listed.
Rankings
Get updates for Kentucky
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.