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 |
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 176 |
| Mon | 154 |
| Tue | 137 |
| Wed | 142 |
| Thu | 151 |
| Fri | 212 |
| Sat | 181 |
All crashes 2021.
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
| 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.
Embed
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.
Embed
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
The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.
Fatal crashes in 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2021 | Dauphin County | I-81 GEORGE N WADE BRG | 1 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | Bucks County | SR-2038 COUNTY LINE RD | 1 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | MASTER ST | 1 |
| Mar 24, 2021 | Erie County | I-79 RAYMOND P SHAFER HWY | 1 |
| Mar 24, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | US-30 GIRARD AVE | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Allegheny County | SR-2061 JEFFERSON RD | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Covington, Tioga County | SR-0660 COWAN RD | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Lancaster County | SR-272 READING RD | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Clearfield County | SR-53 FRONT ST | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Harrisburg, Dauphin County | I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HWY | 1 |
| Mar 22, 2021 | Lehigh County | US-222 | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Bucks County | SR-313 DUBLIN PIKE | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Bucks County | US-13 BRISTOL PIKE | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Luzerne County | I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HWY | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Economy, Beaver County | SR-4036 BIG SEWICKLEY CREEK RD | 1 |
| Mar 21, 2021 | Scranton, Lackawanna County | US-11 SCRANTON EXPY | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Bucks County | SR-2043 BROWNSVILLE RD | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Susquehanna County | BILL KOSTIC RD | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Dauphin County | PIKETOWN RD | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Cumberland County | I-81 AMERICAN LEGION MEM HWY | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2021 | Bedford County | SR-4003 VALLEY RD | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Moosic, Lackawanna County | US-11 BIRNEY AVE | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County | SR-1004 ERIE AVE | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Luzerne County | SR-437 WOODLAWN RD | 1 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | Schuylkill County | ANN ST | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Pennsylvania in 2021
Rankings
Nearby states
Get updates for Pennsylvania
We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for Pennsylvania, usually about once a year. We'll send a link to confirm your address first. No tracking and no sharing, and every email has a link to unsubscribe.
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.