Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Tennessee in 2021

State in United States

Deaths, 2021
1,327
Fatal crashes
1,229
Population
7M

In 2021, 1,327 people died in 1,229 fatal crashes in Tennessee, about 4 a day. That was 9.0% more than in 2020 (1,217) and the most since 2004. The death rate was 19.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Tennessee had the 8th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 9th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 13% of deaths, and 16% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

19.0

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

  • About 1.5 times the rate in the United States: 13.0

+9%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

1,217 deaths in 2020, 1,327 in 2021

  • The United States: +11%

Tennessee traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

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

Road users

Who died

13%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2021
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 974
Pedestrians 177
Motorcyclists 169
Cyclists 7
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Deaths by type, 2021
Type Deaths Share in Tennessee Share in the US
Pedestrians 177 13% 17%
Motorcyclists 169 13% 14%
Cyclists 7 1% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 350 26% 31%
Speeding-related crashes 232 17% 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

16%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 60 percent of the share in the United States: 28%

26%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2021
Category Tennessee United States
Speeding-related 25.5% 26.3%
Alcohol-involved 16.3% 28.2%
At night 46.9% 53.9%
At weekends 30.0% 32.8%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

47%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 54%

30%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 35
1am 41
2am 32
3am 34
4am 25
5am 44
6am 31
7am 34
8am 29
9am 53
10am 52
11am 50
12pm 53
1pm 40
2pm 58
3pm 63
4pm 73
5pm 61
6pm 69
7pm 60
8pm 63
9pm 74
10pm 50
11pm 49

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 168
Mon 176
Tue 147
Wed 163
Thu 182
Fri 192
Sat 201

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 87
Feb 78
Mar 91
Apr 116
May 106
Jun 140
Jul 90
Aug 114
Sep 101
Oct 122
Nov 94
Dec 90

All crashes 2021.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 937
Cloudy 144
Rain 99
Fog, Smog, Smoke 9
Snow 5
Other 2

All crashes 2021. 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 632
Dark - Not Lighted 303
Dark - Lighted 233
Dusk 30
Dawn 15
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

  1. I-4071
  2. I-2438
  3. I-7517
  4. I-24013
  5. I-6512
  6. I-8110
  7. US-51 SR-3 ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD9
  8. US-61 SR-14 S THIRD ST9
  9. SR-175 SHELBY DR8
  10. US-78 SR-4 LAMAR AVE7

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 772
SUVs 352
Pickup trucks 329
Medium and heavy trucks 186
Motorcycles 171
Other vehicles 80
Vans 68
Buses 8
Other light trucks 1

All crashes 2021.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Ford F-15063
  2. Chevrolet Silverado56
  3. Nissan Altima47
  4. Toyota Camry38
  5. Honda Accord38
  6. Dodge Ram36
  7. Honda Civic34
  8. Freightliner Cascadia34
  9. GMC Sierra30
  10. Ford Fusion25

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
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Oct 21, 2021 Washington County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Chattanooga, Hamilton County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Memphis, Shelby County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Smyrna, Rutherford County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Decatur County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Knoxville, Knox County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Jefferson County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Hawkins County 1
Oct 21, 2021 Clay County 1
Oct 20, 2021 Jefferson County 1
Oct 19, 2021 Covington, Tipton County 1
Oct 19, 2021 Roane County 1
Oct 19, 2021 Jefferson County 1
Oct 18, 2021 Oak Ridge, Roane County 1
Oct 18, 2021 Rutherford County 1
Oct 18, 2021 Oneida, Scott County 1
Oct 18, 2021 Nashville, Davidson County 1
Oct 17, 2021 Obion County 1
Oct 17, 2021 Hamblen County 1
Oct 17, 2021 Knoxville, Knox County 3
Oct 17, 2021 Memphis, Shelby County 1
Oct 17, 2021 Memphis, Shelby County 1
Oct 16, 2021 Rutherford County 1
Oct 16, 2021 Lincoln County 1
Oct 16, 2021 Memphis, Shelby County 2

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Nearby and related

Counties in Tennessee in 2021

Area Deaths, 2021 Per 100,000
Anderson County 16 20.6
Bedford County 4 7.8
Benton County 3 19.0
Bledsoe County 5 33.7
Blount County 26 18.9
Bradley County 19 17.3
Campbell County 16 40.5
Cannon County 3 20.6
Carroll County 5 17.7
Carter County 8 14.3
Cheatham County 15 36.2
Chester County 4 22.9
Claiborne County 4 12.5
Clay County 2 26.4
Cocke County 10 27.5
Coffee County 15 25.4
Crockett County 5 35.8
Cumberland County 7 11.2
Davidson County 131 18.7
DeKalb County 3 14.6
Decatur County 2 17.6
Dickson County 11 19.9
Dyer County 8 21.8
Fayette County 6 14.1
Fentress County 4 21.2
Franklin County 5 11.6
Gibson County 11 21.8
Giles County 8 26.3
Grainger County 3 12.6
Greene County 19 26.9
Grundy County 4 29.5
Hamblen County 13 20.2
Hamilton County 51 13.8
Hancock County 2 29.5
Hardeman County 6 23.8
Hardin County 11 40.8
Hawkins County 10 17.5
Haywood County 8 45.3
Henderson County 4 14.3
Henry County 6 18.6
Hickman County 10 39.9
Houston County 6 72.3
Humphreys County 11 57.4
Jackson County 4 34.0
Jefferson County 11 19.8
Johnson County 6 33.3
Knox County 77 15.8
Lake County 1 15.2
Lauderdale County 2 8.0
Lawrence County 11 24.6
Lewis County 7 54.5
Lincoln County 13 36.7
Loudon County 10 17.6
Macon County 3 11.7
Madison County 19 19.3
Marion County 12 41.5
Marshall County 3 8.6
Maury County 17 16.2
McMinn County 14 26.0
McNairy County 2 7.7
Meigs County 3 23.0
Monroe County 13 27.9
Montgomery County 33 14.5
Moore County 2 30.1
Morgan County 2 9.5
Obion County 10 32.8
Overton County 4 17.5
Perry County 4 47.1
Pickett County 0 —
Polk County 8 45.2
Putnam County 19 23.4
Rhea County 5 14.9
Roane County 9 16.6
Robertson County 12 16.2
Rutherford County 30 8.5
Scott County 9 41.1
Sequatchie County 8 48.6
Sevier County 19 19.1
Shelby County 255 27.6
Smith County 9 44.6
Stewart County 1 7.2
Sullivan County 28 17.6
Sumner County 21 10.5
Tipton County 8 13.1
Trousdale County 2 17.2
Unicoi County 5 28.4
Union County 2 10.0
Van Buren County 2 31.8
Warren County 3 7.2
Washington County 19 14.2
Wayne County 5 30.6
Weakley County 5 15.2
White County 1 3.6
Williamson County 13 5.1
Wilson County 26 17.1

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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.