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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2021 | Martin County | US-64 | 1 |
| Jun 14, 2021 | Lenoir County | SSR-1804 NEUSE RD | 1 |
| Jun 14, 2021 | Guilford County | SR-150 OAK RIDGE RD | 1 |
| Jun 13, 2021 | Surry County | I-77 | 1 |
| Jun 13, 2021 | Scotland County | SSR-1152 OLD WIRE RD | 1 |
| Jun 13, 2021 | Jacksonville, Onslow County | SSR-1336 ONSLOW DR | 1 |
| Jun 13, 2021 | Montgomery County | SSR 1156 BLAINE RD | 1 |
| Jun 13, 2021 | Rocky Mount, Edgecombe County | US-64 E RALEIGH BLVD | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Lincoln County | SSR-1282 BETHEL CHURCH RD | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Harnett County | SSR-2034 JOEL JOHNSON RD | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Winston Salem, Forsyth County | STAFFORD VILLAGE BLVD | 2 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Fayetteville, Cumberland County | SSR-1400 CLIFFDALE RD | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Carteret County | US-70 | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Burlington, Alamance County | US-70 S CHURCH ST | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Holly Springs, Wake County | MORNING OAKS DR | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Jacksonville, Onslow County | SSR-1308 GUM BRANCH RD | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Harnett County | SSR-1700 CANE MILL RD | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Catawba County | SR-127 | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Bladen County | SSR-1700 MERCER MILL BROWN MAR | 1 |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Anson County | US-52 | 1 |
| Jun 10, 2021 | Rutherford County | SR-120 | 1 |
| Jun 10, 2021 | Harnett County | SSR-1280 MCARTHUR RD | 1 |
| Jun 10, 2021 | Guilford County | SSR-3361 PHILLIPPI RD | 1 |
| Jun 10, 2021 | Forsyth County | SSR-1525 YADKINVILLE RD | 1 |
| Jun 10, 2021 | Craven County | SSR-1004 BRICES CREEK 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.