Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in North Carolina in 2023

State in United States

Deaths, 2023
1,577
Fatal crashes
1,465
Population
10.9M

In 2023, 1,577 people died in 1,465 fatal crashes in North Carolina, about 4 a day. That was 3.3% fewer than in 2022 (1,631) and the fewest since 2020. The death rate was 14.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.2 in the United States. North Carolina had the 5th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 18th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 15% of deaths, and 36% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

14.5

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023

  • About 1.2 times the rate in the United States: 12.2

-3%

change in deaths from 2022 to 2023

1,631 deaths in 2022, 1,577 in 2023

  • The United States: -4%

North Carolina traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

15%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2023
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 1,076
Pedestrians 229
Motorcyclists 227
Cyclists 45
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Deaths by type, 2023
Type Deaths Share in North Carolina Share in the US
Pedestrians 229 15% 18%
Motorcyclists 227 14% 16%
Cyclists 45 3% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 423 27% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 579 37% 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

36%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.3 times the share in the United States: 28%

22%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2023
Category North Carolina United States
Speeding-related 22.0% 25.6%
Alcohol-involved 35.9% 28.2%
At night 53.7% 54.1%
At weekends 31.3% 33.5%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

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Timing

When crashes happen

54%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

31%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 34%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 52
1am 50
2am 67
3am 37
4am 35
5am 46
6am 45
7am 42
8am 42
9am 50
10am 39
11am 40
12pm 47
1pm 61
2pm 69
3pm 80
4pm 65
5pm 97
6pm 83
7pm 88
8pm 88
9pm 107
10pm 77
11pm 57

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 211
Mon 194
Tue 196
Wed 184
Thu 197
Fri 235
Sat 248

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 93
Feb 109
Mar 123
Apr 119
May 136
Jun 113
Jul 137
Aug 122
Sep 125
Oct 126
Nov 139
Dec 123

All crashes 2023.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 1,203
Cloudy 135
Rain 112
Fog, Smog, Smoke 10
Other 2

All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 684
Dark - Not Lighted 528
Dark - Lighted 170
Dusk 42
Dawn 31
Dark - Unknown Lighting 4

All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2023

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-4035
  2. I-8531
  3. US-6425
  4. I-9524
  5. US-7022
  6. US-42120
  7. US-7417
  8. US-113
  9. US-40111
  10. SR-8711

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 874
SUVs 443
Pickup trucks 355
Motorcycles 227
Medium and heavy trucks 186
Vans 88
Other vehicles 67
Buses 7
Other light trucks 6

All crashes 2023.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Chevrolet Silverado76
  2. Honda Accord76
  3. Ford F-15057
  4. Toyota Camry57
  5. Honda Civic43
  6. Toyota Corolla32
  7. Dodge Charger28
  8. Nissan Altima28
  9. Ram 150028
  10. Ford Ranger25

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 2023. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Dec 31, 2023 Harnett County 1
Dec 31, 2023 Cary, Wake County 1
Dec 31, 2023 Charlotte, Mecklenburg County 1
Dec 31, 2023 Lincolnton, Lincoln County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Cumberland County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Fayetteville, Cumberland County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Salisbury, Rowan County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Asheville, Buncombe County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Wilson, Wilson County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Raleigh, Wake County 3
Dec 28, 2023 Jacksonville, Onslow County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Durham, Durham County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Mocksville, Davie County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Charlotte, Mecklenburg County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Randolph County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Rolesville, Wake County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Biscoe, Montgomery County 1
Dec 26, 2023 Avery County 1
Dec 26, 2023 East Bend, Yadkin County 1
Dec 26, 2023 Charlotte, Mecklenburg County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Henderson County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Salisbury, Rowan County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Wilmington, New Hanover County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Charlotte, Mecklenburg County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Benson, Johnston County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in North Carolina in 2023

Area Deaths, 2023 Per 100,000
Alamance County 18 10.0
Alexander County 12 33.0
Alleghany County 4 35.3
Anson County 8 36.7
Ashe County 7 25.8
Avery County 4 22.5
Beaufort County 5 11.2
Bertie County 8 47.0
Bladen County 9 30.4
Brunswick County 18 11.3
Buncombe County 47 17.0
Burke County 11 12.5
Cabarrus County 26 10.8
Caldwell County 10 12.4
Camden County 1 9.0
Carteret County 10 14.4
Caswell County 2 8.9
Catawba County 25 15.2
Chatham County 17 20.8
Cherokee County 5 16.6
Chowan County 1 7.2
Clay County 1 8.5
Cleveland County 24 23.6
Columbus County 16 31.8
Craven County 8 7.7
Cumberland County 52 15.4
Currituck County 1 3.2
Dare County 6 15.7
Davidson County 33 18.9
Davie County 5 11.2
Duplin County 19 38.0
Durham County 38 11.3
Edgecombe County 15 30.6
Forsyth County 51 13.0
Franklin County 16 20.8
Gaston County 26 10.9
Gates County 3 29.0
Graham County 5 62.1
Granville County 8 13.0
Greene County 3 14.6
Guilford County 54 9.8
Halifax County 21 44.6
Harnett County 30 21.2
Haywood County 13 20.7
Henderson County 12 10.0
Hertford County 3 15.6
Hoke County 13 23.8
Hyde County 0 —
Iredell County 22 11.0
Jackson County 5 11.1
Johnston County 32 13.2
Jones County 2 21.2
Lee County 13 19.3
Lenoir County 15 27.3
Lincoln County 14 14.6
Macon County 4 10.4
Madison County 2 9.1
Martin County 4 18.6
McDowell County 8 17.8
Mecklenburg County 97 8.3
Mitchell County 2 13.3
Montgomery County 13 49.6
Moore County 27 25.3
Nash County 22 22.6
New Hanover County 19 7.9
Northampton County 4 23.9
Onslow County 25 11.9
Orange County 17 11.2
Pamlico County 2 16.1
Pasquotank County 5 12.1
Pender County 15 22.0
Perquimans County 1 7.5
Person County 10 25.1
Pitt County 33 18.5
Polk County 5 25.0
Randolph County 33 22.3
Richmond County 8 19.0
Robeson County 65 55.1
Rockingham County 16 17.3
Rowan County 25 16.5
Rutherford County 11 16.8
Sampson County 25 41.7
Scotland County 18 53.7
Stanly County 10 15.2
Stokes County 5 11.0
Surry County 10 14.0
Swain County 5 35.8
Transylvania County 3 8.8
Tyrrell County 1 28.5
Union County 21 8.2
Vance County 5 11.8
Wake County 101 8.4
Warren County 7 37.4
Washington County 0 —
Watauga County 5 9.0
Wayne County 23 19.2
Wilkes County 8 12.1
Wilson County 18 22.4
Yadkin County 10 26.4
Yancey County 2 10.6

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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.