Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Tennessee in 2023

State in United States

Deaths, 2023
1,323
Fatal crashes
1,219
Population
7.2M

In 2023, 1,323 people died in 1,219 fatal crashes in Tennessee, about 4 a day. That was 0.8% more than in 2022 (1,313) and the most since 2021. The death rate was 18.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.2 in the United States. Tennessee had the 6th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 7th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 14% of deaths, and 19% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

18.5

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023

  • About 1.5 times the rate in the United States: 12.2

+1%

change in deaths from 2022 to 2023

1,313 deaths in 2022, 1,323 in 2023

  • The United States: -4%

Tennessee traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

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

Road users

Who died

14%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2023
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 923
Pedestrians 186
Motorcyclists 203
Cyclists 11
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Deaths by type, 2023
Type Deaths Share in Tennessee Share in the US
Pedestrians 186 14% 18%
Motorcyclists 203 15% 16%
Cyclists 11 1% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 370 28% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 266 20% 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

19%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About two-thirds of 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%
Crash factors in 2023
Category Tennessee United States
Speeding-related 24.1% 25.6%
Alcohol-involved 19.4% 28.2%
At night 50.4% 54.1%
At weekends 33.3% 33.5%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

50%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

33%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 34%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 52
1am 41
2am 33
3am 34
4am 28
5am 35
6am 33
7am 34
8am 29
9am 25
10am 37
11am 48
12pm 50
1pm 46
2pm 67
3pm 55
4pm 57
5pm 71
6pm 62
7pm 77
8pm 78
9pm 54
10pm 70
11pm 50

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 192
Mon 155
Tue 151
Wed 167
Thu 156
Fri 184
Sat 214

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 81
Feb 81
Mar 83
Apr 112
May 115
Jun 103
Jul 129
Aug 98
Sep 116
Oct 111
Nov 104
Dec 86

All crashes 2023.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 961
Rain 110
Cloudy 100
Fog, Smog, Smoke 18
Sleet or Hail 3
Severe Crosswinds 2

All crashes 2023. 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 567
Dark - Not Lighted 303
Dark - Lighted 286
Dusk 25
Dawn 17
Dark - Unknown Lighting 11

All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2023

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-4059
  2. I-2431
  3. US-61 SR-14 S THIRD ST18
  4. I-7516
  5. I-6512
  6. SR-175 SHELBY DR11
  7. US-78 SR-4 LAMAR AVE11
  8. I-24010
  9. US-31A/41A SR-11 NOLENSVILLE P7
  10. I-8407

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 751
SUVs 392
Pickup trucks 284
Motorcycles 204
Medium and heavy trucks 150
Other vehicles 77
Vans 55
Buses 3
Other light trucks 1

All crashes 2023.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Nissan Altima48
  2. Ford F-15047
  3. Chevrolet Silverado38
  4. Freightliner Cascadia34
  5. Toyota Camry30
  6. Chevrolet Malibu28
  7. Honda Accord26
  8. Dodge Ram25
  9. Honda Civic24
  10. Honda CR-V23

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 2023. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
May 30, 2023 Lake County 1
May 30, 2023 Nashville, Davidson County 1
May 29, 2023 Jackson County 1
May 29, 2023 Clarksville, Montgomery County 1
May 28, 2023 Fayette County 1
May 28, 2023 Memphis, Shelby County 1
May 28, 2023 Decatur County 1
May 28, 2023 Nashville, Davidson County 2
May 28, 2023 Memphis, Shelby County 1
May 27, 2023 Nashville, Davidson County 1
May 27, 2023 Dickson County 1
May 27, 2023 Perry County 1
May 27, 2023 Nashville, Davidson County 1
May 27, 2023 Fentress County 1
May 26, 2023 Johnson City, Washington County 1
May 26, 2023 Claiborne County 1
May 26, 2023 Greene County 1
May 25, 2023 Memphis, Shelby County 1
May 25, 2023 Hamilton County 1
May 25, 2023 Spring Hill, Maury County 1
May 25, 2023 Knoxville, Knox County 1
May 24, 2023 Sevier County 1
May 24, 2023 Hardin County 2
May 23, 2023 Nashville, Davidson County 1
May 21, 2023 Monroe County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in Tennessee in 2023

Area Deaths, 2023 Per 100,000
Anderson County 13 16.2
Bedford County 16 30.0
Benton County 4 24.8
Bledsoe County 7 46.7
Blount County 17 12.0
Bradley County 11 9.8
Campbell County 14 34.8
Cannon County 7 46.5
Carroll County 3 10.3
Carter County 11 19.3
Cheatham County 11 26.1
Chester County 2 11.3
Claiborne County 8 24.5
Clay County 1 13.0
Cocke County 15 40.2
Coffee County 14 23.1
Crockett County 8 57.3
Cumberland County 16 24.7
Davidson County 138 19.1
DeKalb County 2 9.4
Decatur County 3 25.7
Dickson County 12 21.1
Dyer County 3 8.2
Fayette County 9 20.4
Fentress County 4 20.4
Franklin County 8 17.9
Gibson County 6 11.7
Giles County 7 22.7
Grainger County 5 20.2
Greene County 17 23.4
Grundy County 1 7.2
Hamblen County 5 7.5
Hamilton County 51 13.4
Hancock County 3 43.0
Hardeman County 8 31.3
Hardin County 8 29.2
Hawkins County 5 8.5
Haywood County 11 63.3
Henderson County 10 35.6
Henry County 8 24.6
Hickman County 2 7.8
Houston County 0 —
Humphreys County 2 10.4
Jackson County 5 40.5
Jefferson County 4 6.9
Johnson County 4 21.8
Knox County 86 17.1
Lake County 5 78.3
Lauderdale County 6 24.5
Lawrence County 8 17.4
Lewis County 2 15.2
Lincoln County 5 13.8
Loudon County 8 13.2
Macon County 9 33.5
Madison County 23 23.1
Marion County 8 27.2
Marshall County 6 16.2
Maury County 17 15.3
McMinn County 18 32.2
McNairy County 8 30.7
Meigs County 6 43.8
Monroe County 12 24.7
Montgomery County 36 15.0
Moore County 6 88.2
Morgan County 7 32.5
Obion County 2 6.6
Overton County 6 25.7
Perry County 1 11.2
Pickett County 0 —
Polk County 2 11.1
Putnam County 16 19.1
Rhea County 4 11.7
Roane County 11 19.6
Robertson County 20 26.0
Rutherford County 37 10.0
Scott County 5 22.5
Sequatchie County 5 29.1
Sevier County 23 22.9
Shelby County 259 28.3
Smith County 4 19.5
Stewart County 4 28.0
Sullivan County 13 8.0
Sumner County 22 10.6
Tipton County 8 12.9
Trousdale County 2 16.2
Unicoi County 2 11.2
Union County 4 19.3
Van Buren County 5 76.0
Warren County 6 14.1
Washington County 14 10.1
Wayne County 4 24.9
Weakley County 5 15.1
White County 3 10.4
Williamson County 16 6.0
Wilson County 25 15.2

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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2023. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.