Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in North Carolina in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 1,693
- Fatal crashes
- 1,563
- Population
- 10.6M
In 2021, 1,693 people died in 1,563 fatal crashes in North Carolina, about 5 a day. That was 10.1% more than in 2020 (1,538) and the most in any year since 1975. The death rate was 16.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. North Carolina had the 5th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 17th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 15% of deaths, and 28% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
16.0
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021
- About 1.2 times the rate in the United States: 13.0
+10%
change in deaths from 2020 to 2021
1,538 deaths in 2020, 1,693 in 2021
- The United States: +11%
North Carolina traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.
Road users
Who died
15%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 1,177 |
| Pedestrians | 254 |
| Motorcyclists | 239 |
| Cyclists | 23 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in North Carolina | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 254 | 15% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 239 | 14% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 23 | 1% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 480 | 28% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 487 | 29% | 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
28%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About the same as 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 | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 27.3% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 28.0% | 28.2% |
| At night | 50.9% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 33.1% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
51%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as the share in the United States: 54%
33%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 51 |
| 1am | 46 |
| 2am | 76 |
| 3am | 33 |
| 4am | 35 |
| 5am | 23 |
| 6am | 53 |
| 7am | 56 |
| 8am | 41 |
| 9am | 31 |
| 10am | 47 |
| 11am | 63 |
| 12pm | 76 |
| 1pm | 70 |
| 2pm | 74 |
| 3pm | 69 |
| 4pm | 92 |
| 5pm | 93 |
| 6pm | 117 |
| 7pm | 79 |
| 8pm | 105 |
| 9pm | 90 |
| 10pm | 75 |
| 11pm | 65 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 250 |
| Mon | 214 |
| Tue | 177 |
| Wed | 192 |
| Thu | 201 |
| Fri | 261 |
| Sat | 268 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 123 |
| Feb | 81 |
| Mar | 107 |
| Apr | 166 |
| May | 141 |
| Jun | 144 |
| Jul | 144 |
| Aug | 127 |
| Sep | 131 |
| Oct | 158 |
| Nov | 107 |
| Dec | 134 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 1,270 |
| Cloudy | 160 |
| Rain | 110 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 18 |
| Snow | 1 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 774 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 513 |
| Dark - Lighted | 192 |
| Dusk | 48 |
| Dawn | 26 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 3 |
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-8534
- I-4031
- I-9522
- US-7421
- US-6421
- US-42119
- I-7718
- US-7017
- SR-8715
- US-1713
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 989 |
| SUVs | 450 |
| Pickup trucks | 400 |
| Motorcycles | 243 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 166 |
| Vans | 119 |
| Other vehicles | 30 |
| Buses | 6 |
| Other light trucks | 3 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado76
- Honda Accord73
- Honda Civic68
- Ford F-15063
- Toyota Camry49
- Nissan Altima39
- Ford Explorer37
- Ford Ranger30
- Hyundai Sonata28
- Toyota Tacoma28
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2021 | Haywood County | SSR-1863 HENSON COVE RD | 1 |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Camden County | SR-343 | 1 |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Alexander County | SR-90 | 1 |
| Jul 15, 2021 | Guilford County | SR-62 | 1 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | Onslow County | US-17 WILMINGTON HWY | 1 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | Oxford, Granville County | SSR-1646 E INDUSTRY DR | 1 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | Dallas, Gaston County | US-321 | 1 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | Durham, Durham County | US-501 N ROXBORO ST | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2021 | Statesville, Iredell County | SSR-1421 WILSON W LEE BLVD | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2021 | Hertford County | SSR-1419 NEWSOME GROVE RD | 2 |
| Jul 13, 2021 | Clemmons, Forsyth County | SSR-1109 KINNAMON RD | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2021 | Duplin County | SSR-1953 PASTURE BRANCH RD | 1 |
| Jul 13, 2021 | Hickory, Catawba County | I-40 W RAMP | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2021 | Rowan County | US-601 | 3 |
| Jul 12, 2021 | Jacksonville, Onslow County | SR-24 FREEDOM WAY | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2021 | Moore County | US-15 | 1 |
| Jul 12, 2021 | Columbus County | SSR-1352 CHERRY GROVE RD | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Raleigh, Wake County | SSR-1007 POOLE RD | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Wilson County | US-301 | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Fuquay-Varina, Wake County | SSR-2770 ANGIER RD | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Polk County | I-26 | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Moore County | SSR-1479 LAKEY SIDING RD | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Halifax County | SSR-1400 THELMA RD | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Guilford County | I-85 | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | Duplin County | SSR-1817 LUDIE BROWN RD | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in North Carolina in 2021
Rankings
Nearby states
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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.