Fatal crash profile · County
Traffic deaths in Polk County, Tennessee
County in Tennessee · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 7
- Fatal crashes
- 6
- Population
- 18.4K
In 2024, 7 people died in 6 fatal crashes in Polk County, Tennessee. That was 250.0% more than in 2023 (2) and the most since 2021. The death rate was 38.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with 16.5 in Tennessee and 11.5 in the United States. Polk County had the 43rd most traffic deaths among Tennessee's counties. Between 2020 and 2024, 27 people died, an average of 5.4 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
38.0
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About double the rate in Tennessee: 16.5
- About 3 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
30.2
average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024
- About 1.7 times the average in Tennessee: 18.0
- About double the average in the United States: 12.3
+250%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
2 deaths in 2023, 7 in 2024
- Tennessee: -10%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 8 | 7 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 28.5 |
| 2021 | 45.2 |
| 2022 | 28.1 |
| 2023 | 11.1 |
| 2024 | 38.0 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
0%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 5 percent of the share in Tennessee: 13%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 5 |
| Pedestrians | 0 |
| Motorcyclists | 2 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Polk County | Share in Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 0 | 0% | 13% |
| Motorcyclists | 2 | 29% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 1% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 3 | 43% | 28% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 0 | 0% | 19% |
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
0%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 5 percent of the share in Tennessee: 17%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
17%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About two-thirds of the share in Tennessee: 25%
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Polk County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 16.7% | 25.1% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 0.0% | 17.4% | 28.1% |
| At night | 33.3% | 47.4% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 50.0% | 34.5% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
33%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About two-thirds of the share in Tennessee: 47%
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 54%
50%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 1.4 times the share in Tennessee: 34%
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 1 |
| 1am | 0 |
| 2am | 0 |
| 3am | 0 |
| 4am | 0 |
| 5am | 0 |
| 6am | 0 |
| 7am | 1 |
| 8am | 0 |
| 9am | 2 |
| 10am | 0 |
| 11am | 0 |
| 12pm | 1 |
| 1pm | 1 |
| 2pm | 1 |
| 3pm | 0 |
| 4pm | 2 |
| 5pm | 1 |
| 6pm | 2 |
| 7pm | 3 |
| 8pm | 0 |
| 9pm | 3 |
| 10pm | 2 |
| 11pm | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 3 |
| Mon | 6 |
| Tue | 3 |
| Wed | 3 |
| Thu | 3 |
| Fri | 3 |
| Sat | 4 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 1 |
| Feb | 1 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 2 |
| May | 4 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 1 |
| Aug | 1 |
| Sep | 4 |
| Oct | 1 |
| Nov | 6 |
| Dec | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 19 |
| Cloudy | 3 |
| Rain | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 13 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 9 |
| Dusk | 2 |
| Dark - Lighted | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- US-64/74 SR-409
- US-411 SR-335
- SR-683
- CR-BALL PLAY RD1
- CR-BIG TOWEE RD1
- CR-CREEKSIDE DR1
- CR-HORNS CREEK RD1
- PFR-FOREST ROAD 236 SMITH CREE1
- SR-163 BOWATER RD1
- SR-313 LADD SPRINGS RD1
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 10 |
| Pickup trucks | 9 |
| SUVs | 9 |
| Motorcycles | 5 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Toyota Camry2
- Ford F-1502
- Dodge Ram2
- Mazda Mazda31
- KTM 690 Enduro1
- Kia Sportage1
- Kenworth T8801
- Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R1
- Kawasaki KLR6501
- Jeep Wagoneer L1
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 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 2024 | — | SR-68 | 1 |
| Nov 29, 2024 | — | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| Nov 10, 2024 | — | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| Nov 3, 2024 | Oldfort | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| May 8, 2024 | — | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2024 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 2 |
| Dec 16, 2023 | — | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| May 16, 2023 | — | PFR-FOREST ROAD 236 SMITH CREE | 1 |
| Nov 20, 2022 | Delano | US-411 SR-30 TENNESSEE AVE | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | — | SR-68 | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2022 | — | SR-68 | 1 |
| Aug 25, 2022 | — | SR-313 LADD SPRINGS RD | 1 |
| May 14, 2022 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| Nov 8, 2021 | — | CR-BALL PLAY RD | 1 |
| Sep 30, 2021 | — | SR-163 BOWATER RD | 1 |
| Jul 19, 2021 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| Jun 9, 2021 | Ocoee | CR-CREEKSIDE DR | 1 |
| May 6, 2021 | — | CR-BIG TOWEE RD | 1 |
| Jan 26, 2021 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 2 |
| Nov 9, 2020 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| Oct 30, 2020 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
| Sep 22, 2020 | — | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | — | CR-HORNS CREEK RD | 1 |
| Feb 14, 2020 | — | US-64/74 SR-40 | 1 |
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.