Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Tennessee in 2020
State in United States
- Deaths, 2020
- 1,217
- Fatal crashes
- 1,119
- Population
- 6.9M
In 2020, 1,217 people died in 1,119 fatal crashes in Tennessee, about 3 a day. The death rate was 17.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.8 in the United States. Tennessee had the 7th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 9th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 14% of deaths, and 15% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
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 | 881 |
| Pedestrians | 172 |
| Motorcyclists | 151 |
| Cyclists | 13 |
Embed
| Type | Deaths | Share in Tennessee | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 172 | 14% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 151 | 12% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 13 | 1% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 325 | 27% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 189 | 16% | 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
15%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About half the share in the United States: 29%
24%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 27%
| Category | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 24.0% | 26.7% |
| Alcohol-involved | 15.3% | 28.6% |
| At night | 50.6% | 53.4% |
| At weekends | 30.0% | 32.9% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
Embed
Timing
When crashes happen
51%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as the share in the United States: 53%
30%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 52 |
| 1am | 29 |
| 2am | 22 |
| 3am | 27 |
| 4am | 23 |
| 5am | 28 |
| 6am | 25 |
| 7am | 26 |
| 8am | 26 |
| 9am | 18 |
| 10am | 37 |
| 11am | 33 |
| 12pm | 47 |
| 1pm | 49 |
| 2pm | 51 |
| 3pm | 62 |
| 4pm | 59 |
| 5pm | 71 |
| 6pm | 67 |
| 7pm | 67 |
| 8pm | 68 |
| 9pm | 69 |
| 10pm | 65 |
| 11pm | 49 |
All crashes 2020.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 147 |
| Mon | 148 |
| Tue | 133 |
| Wed | 147 |
| Thu | 178 |
| Fri | 177 |
| Sat | 189 |
All crashes 2020.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 69 |
| Feb | 70 |
| Mar | 72 |
| Apr | 74 |
| May | 82 |
| Jun | 109 |
| Jul | 105 |
| Aug | 118 |
| Sep | 108 |
| Oct | 119 |
| Nov | 90 |
| Dec | 103 |
All crashes 2020.
Embed
Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 868 |
| Rain | 116 |
| Cloudy | 108 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 5 |
| Snow | 2 |
| Sleet or Hail | 1 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 509 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 284 |
| Dark - Lighted | 247 |
| Dusk | 38 |
| Dawn | 20 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 8 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-4070
- I-2435
- I-6517
- WINCHESTER RD13
- SR-175 SHELBY DR9
- I-759
- US-78 SR-4 LAMAR AVE8
- CHELSEA AVE8
- I-2407
- SR-587
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 674 |
| Pickup trucks | 300 |
| SUVs | 294 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 166 |
| Motorcycles | 154 |
| Other vehicles | 87 |
| Vans | 42 |
| Buses | 4 |
| Other light trucks | 1 |
All crashes 2020.
Embed
Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado63
- Ford F-15050
- Nissan Altima43
- Toyota Camry30
- GMC Sierra29
- Nissan Sentra26
- Honda Accord26
- Chevrolet Impala26
- Honda Civic22
- Ford Ranger21
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 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2020 | Decatur County | CR-BOHANANS LANDING RD | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Madison County | CR-PARKBURG RD | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Nashville, Davidson County | US-31W/41 SR-11 DICKERSON PKE | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Sevier County | US-411/441 SR-35 CHAPMAN HWY | 1 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | CHELSEA AVE | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Carroll County | US-70 SR-1 | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Lawrence County | SR-242 WEST POINT RD | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Mosheim, Greene County | US-11E SR-34 W ANDREW JOHNSON | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Charlotte, Dickson County | SR-49 SPRING ST | 1 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | E RAINES RD | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2020 | Montgomery County | SR-12 ASHLAND CITY RD | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2020 | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | I-75 US-11/64 SR-2 | 1 |
| Sep 24, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | I-240 RAMP | 2 |
| Sep 24, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | CHELSEA AVE | 1 |
| Sep 23, 2020 | Rhea County | US-27 SR-29 RHEA COUNTY HWY | 1 |
| Sep 23, 2020 | Knoxville, Knox County | SR-169 MIDDLEBROOK PIKE | 1 |
| Sep 22, 2020 | Polk County | US-411 SR-33 | 1 |
| Sep 22, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | N HIGHLAND ST | 1 |
| Sep 22, 2020 | Pigeon Forge, Sevier County | US-321/441 SR-71 PARKWAY | 1 |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Henry County | US-641 SR-69 | 1 |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Sweetwater, Monroe County | CR-UPTON RD | 1 |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | NEELY RD | 1 |
| Sep 21, 2020 | Giles County | SR-166 BETHEL RD | 1 |
| Sep 20, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | RALEIGH MILLINGTON RD | 1 |
| Sep 20, 2020 | Memphis, Shelby County | SR-176 NEW GETWELL RD | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Tennessee in 2020
Rankings
Get updates for Tennessee
We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for Tennessee, 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), 2020. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.