Fatal crash profile · County

Traffic deaths in Cowlitz County, Washington

County in Washington · United States

Deaths, 2024
23
Fatal crashes
20
Population
113.8K

In 2024, 23 people died in 20 fatal crashes in Cowlitz County, Washington. That was 43.8% more than in 2023 (16) and the most in any year since 2020. The death rate was 20.2 per 100,000 residents, compared with 9.2 in Washington and 11.5 in the United States. Cowlitz County had the 9th most traffic deaths among Washington's counties. Between 2020 and 2024, 73 people died, an average of 15 a year. Pedestrians accounted for 9% of deaths, and 35% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

20.2

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024

  • About double the rate in Washington: 9.2
  • About 1.8 times the rate in the United States: 11.5

13.0

average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024

  • About 1.4 times the average in Washington: 9.0
  • About the same as the average in the United States: 12.3

+44%

change in deaths from 2023 to 2024

16 deaths in 2023, 23 in 2024

  • Washington: -10%
  • The United States: -4%
Traffic deaths by year, 2020–2024
Category Deaths Fatal crashes
2020 7 7
2021 15 13
2022 12 10
2023 16 14
2024 23 20

People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.

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Deaths per 100,000 residents, 2020–2024
Category Deaths per 100,000
2020 6.3
2021 13.4
2022 10.7
2023 14.2
2024 20.2

Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.

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Road users

Who died

9%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 40 percent of the share in Washington: 21%
  • About half the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2024
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 16
Pedestrians 2
Motorcyclists 4
Cyclists 1
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Deaths by type, 2024
Type Deaths Share in Cowlitz County Share in Washington
Pedestrians 2 9% 21%
Motorcyclists 4 17% 15%
Cyclists 1 4% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 7 30% 33%
Speeding-related crashes 9 39% 34%

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

35%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About the same as the share in Washington: 33%
  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%

40%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.5 times the share in Washington: 27%
  • About 1.6 times the share in the United States: 25%
Crash factors in 2024
Category Cowlitz County Washington United States
Speeding-related 40.0% 27.2% 24.8%
Alcohol-involved 35.0% 32.9% 28.1%
At night 50.0% 53.6% 53.6%
At weekends 40.0% 30.6% 32.6%

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

40%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About 1.3 times the share in Washington: 31%
  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 4
1am 2
2am 1
3am 3
4am 0
5am 2
6am 3
7am 2
8am 3
9am 3
10am 4
11am 4
12pm 0
1pm 3
2pm 5
3pm 2
4pm 2
5pm 3
6pm 3
7pm 3
8pm 4
9pm 1
10pm 3
11pm 4

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 14
Mon 4
Tue 10
Wed 6
Thu 9
Fri 18
Sat 3

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 4
Feb 3
Mar 8
Apr 4
May 11
Jun 9
Jul 4
Aug 8
Sep 7
Oct 2
Nov 1
Dec 3

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 39
Cloudy 12
Rain 11
Fog, Smog, Smoke 1
Sleet or Hail 1

All crashes 2020–2024. 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 38
Dark - Not Lighted 15
Dark - Lighted 9
Dawn 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

  1. I-514
  2. SR-4327
  3. SR-47
  4. SR-5036
  5. CR-PACIFIC WAY2
  6. PARKING LOT WAY2
  7. CR-WESTSIDE HWY2
  8. MU-N PACIFIC AVE1
  9. ABERNATHY CREEK RD1
  10. 32ND AVE1

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 38
Pickup trucks 20
SUVs 17
Motorcycles 13
Medium and heavy trucks 5
Vans 2
Buses 1

All crashes 2020–2024.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Honda Civic4
  2. Chevrolet Silverado4
  3. Subaru Impreza3
  4. Honda Accord3
  5. Freightliner Cascadia3
  6. Ford Ranger3
  7. Ford F-1503
  8. Volkswagen Jetta2
  9. Toyota Tacoma2
  10. Hyundai Sonata2

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.

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Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Dec 27, 2024 Longview 2
Nov 21, 2024 — 1
Oct 6, 2024 — 1
Sep 29, 2024 Longview 1
Sep 29, 2024 — 1
Sep 28, 2024 Longview 1
Sep 27, 2024 — 1
Aug 18, 2024 — 1
Aug 2, 2024 Longview 1
Aug 2, 2024 Kelso 1
Jun 13, 2024 Longview 1
May 17, 2024 Longview 1
May 16, 2024 — 1
May 12, 2024 — 1
Apr 30, 2024 Kelso 3
Apr 28, 2024 — 1
Mar 22, 2024 Woodland 1
Mar 20, 2024 Longview 1
Mar 14, 2024 Longview 1
Mar 2, 2024 — 1
Dec 17, 2023 — 2
Sep 18, 2023 Longview 1
Aug 18, 2023 — 1
Aug 15, 2023 Kelso 1
Aug 13, 2023 — 1

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Nearby and related

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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.