Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Pennsylvania in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 1,230
- Fatal crashes
- 1,153
- Population
- 13M
In 2021, 1,230 people died in 1,153 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania, about 3 a day. That was 8.9% more than in 2020 (1,129) and the most since 2012. The death rate was 9.4 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Pennsylvania had the 9th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 40th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 14% of deaths, and 40% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
9.4
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021
- About three-quarters of the rate in the United States: 13.0
+9%
change in deaths from 2020 to 2021
1,129 deaths in 2020, 1,230 in 2021
- The United States: +11%
Pennsylvania traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.
Road users
Who died
14%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 803 |
| Pedestrians | 176 |
| Motorcyclists | 230 |
| Cyclists | 21 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Pennsylvania | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 176 | 14% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 230 | 19% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 21 | 2% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 331 | 27% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 500 | 41% | 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
40%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 1.4 times the share in the United States: 28%
24%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 24.1% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 39.6% | 28.2% |
| At night | 48.7% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 31.0% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
49%
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: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 40 |
| 1am | 41 |
| 2am | 39 |
| 3am | 26 |
| 4am | 23 |
| 5am | 28 |
| 6am | 44 |
| 7am | 33 |
| 8am | 33 |
| 9am | 31 |
| 10am | 42 |
| 11am | 46 |
| 12pm | 37 |
| 1pm | 58 |
| 2pm | 71 |
| 3pm | 57 |
| 4pm | 67 |
| 5pm | 71 |
| 6pm | 56 |
| 7pm | 67 |
| 8pm | 74 |
| 9pm | 64 |
| 10pm | 50 |
| 11pm | 54 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 176 |
| Mon | 154 |
| Tue | 137 |
| Wed | 142 |
| Thu | 151 |
| Fri | 212 |
| Sat | 181 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 74 |
| Feb | 57 |
| Mar | 85 |
| Apr | 76 |
| May | 93 |
| Jun | 109 |
| Jul | 99 |
| Aug | 128 |
| Sep | 108 |
| Oct | 131 |
| Nov | 94 |
| Dec | 99 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 928 |
| Rain | 85 |
| Cloudy | 70 |
| Snow | 15 |
| Freezing Rain or Drizzle | 8 |
| Other | 7 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 596 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 270 |
| Dark - Lighted | 236 |
| Dusk | 25 |
| Dawn | 14 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 5 |
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
- US-30 LINCOLN HW16
- I-76 MAINLINE TPKE14
- I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HW12
- US-30 LINCOLN HWY9
- US-1 ROOSEVELT BLVD8
- I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HWY7
- US-22 WILLIAM PENN HWY6
- US-422 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HW6
- SR-3007 KELLY DR5
- SR-611 BROAD ST5
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 671 |
| SUVs | 371 |
| Motorcycles | 235 |
| Pickup trucks | 191 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 165 |
| Vans | 69 |
| Other vehicles | 50 |
| Buses | 6 |
| Other light trucks | 3 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado38
- Honda Accord36
- Honda Civic36
- Ford F-15032
- Freightliner Cascadia29
- Hyundai Elantra27
- Toyota RAV424
- Ford Focus22
- Jeep Grand Cherokee21
- Chevrolet Impala19
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2021 | Wilkes Barre, Luzerne County | N WASHINGTON ST | 1 |
| Oct 25, 2021 | Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County | SR-51 | 1 |
| Oct 25, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | W HUNTINGDON ST | 1 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | Washington County | I-79 | 1 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | Lancaster County | SR-0023 MARIETTA AV | 1 |
| Oct 23, 2021 | Clifford, Susquehanna County | SR-0171 MAIN ST | 1 |
| Oct 23, 2021 | Rockhill, Bucks County | SR-313 DUBLIN PK | 1 |
| Oct 23, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | SR-0611 BROAD ST | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Phoenixville, Chester County | SR-23 NUTT RD | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Lancaster County | SR-23 NEW HOLLAND PIKE | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Kelly Township, Union County | SR-1002 COL JOHN KELLY RD | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | N 2ND ST | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Lancaster County | AMOSITE RD | 1 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Scranton, Lackawanna County | I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HW | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Somerset County | I-76 MAINLINE TPKE | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Bucks County | SR-0663 JOHN FRIES HW | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Elizabethtown, Lancaster County | SR-0230 N MARKET ST | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Worcester, Montgomery County | SR-1002 BUSTARD RD | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Luzerne County | I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HW | 1 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Bucks County | SR-2019 KNIGHTS RD | 2 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | Wyoming County | US-6 | 1 |
| Oct 20, 2021 | Ephrata, Lancaster County | STATE ST | 1 |
| Oct 20, 2021 | Cumberland County | SR-2021 ROSSMOYNE RD | 1 |
| Oct 20, 2021 | Beallsville, Washington County | US-40 MAIN ST | 1 |
| Oct 19, 2021 | Clearfield County | SR-0053 ALLPORT TO KYLERTOWN H | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Pennsylvania 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.