Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in Washington in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 674
- Fatal crashes
- 607
- Population
- 7.7M
In 2021, 674 people died in 607 fatal crashes in Washington. That was 17.4% more than in 2020 (574) and the most since 1997. The death rate was 8.7 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Washington had the 25th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 42nd-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 21% of deaths, and 30% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
21%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 425 |
| Pedestrians | 143 |
| Motorcyclists | 92 |
| Cyclists | 14 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Washington | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 143 | 21% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 92 | 14% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 14 | 2% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 261 | 39% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 207 | 31% | 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
30%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About the same as the share in the United States: 28%
29%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 29.5% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 30.5% | 28.2% |
| At night | 52.9% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 29.7% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
53%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as 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%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 34 |
| 1am | 19 |
| 2am | 23 |
| 3am | 21 |
| 4am | 10 |
| 5am | 13 |
| 6am | 22 |
| 7am | 18 |
| 8am | 9 |
| 9am | 19 |
| 10am | 17 |
| 11am | 20 |
| 12pm | 20 |
| 1pm | 26 |
| 2pm | 20 |
| 3pm | 39 |
| 4pm | 43 |
| 5pm | 33 |
| 6pm | 38 |
| 7pm | 43 |
| 8pm | 33 |
| 9pm | 30 |
| 10pm | 32 |
| 11pm | 25 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 91 |
| Mon | 95 |
| Tue | 82 |
| Wed | 76 |
| Thu | 75 |
| Fri | 99 |
| Sat | 89 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 38 |
| Feb | 25 |
| Mar | 41 |
| Apr | 36 |
| May | 44 |
| Jun | 63 |
| Jul | 58 |
| Aug | 72 |
| Sep | 62 |
| Oct | 60 |
| Nov | 60 |
| Dec | 48 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 381 |
| Cloudy | 115 |
| Rain | 80 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 9 |
| Snow | 7 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 4 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 279 |
| Dark - Lighted | 143 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 131 |
| Dusk | 22 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 11 |
| Dawn | 11 |
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
- I-541
- SR-9917
- I-9015
- US-9710
- US-1019
- US-29
- US-3959
- I-829
- SR-79
- US-129
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 383 |
| SUVs | 186 |
| Pickup trucks | 144 |
| Motorcycles | 96 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 93 |
| Vans | 29 |
| Other vehicles | 21 |
| Buses | 3 |
| Other light trucks | 2 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Ford F-15025
- Toyota Camry25
- Honda Civic23
- Honda Accord20
- Chevrolet Silverado19
- Freightliner Cascadia18
- Dodge Ram16
- Ford F-35012
- Ford Ranger12
- Honda CR-V12
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
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2021 | Yakima County | US-97 | 2 |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Kirkland, King County | I-405 | 1 |
| Aug 19, 2021 | King County | SR-18 | 1 |
| Aug 19, 2021 | Tacoma, Pierce County | I-5 RAMP | 2 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | Ferry County | BRIDGE CREEK RD | 1 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | Pend Oreille County | CR-LECLERC RD S | 1 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | Snohomish County | CR-91ST AVE NE | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Spokane, Spokane County | N INDIAN TRAIL RD | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Renton, King County | LIND AVE SW | 1 |
| Aug 15, 2021 | Thurston County | SR-510 | 1 |
| Aug 15, 2021 | Adams County | I-90 | 1 |
| Aug 15, 2021 | Kent, King County | W SMITH ST | 1 |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Tacoma, Pierce County | SR-509 | 1 |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Pierce County | SR-410 | 1 |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Pierce County | CR-CANYON RD E | 1 |
| Aug 12, 2021 | Everett, Snohomish County | I-5 RAMP | 1 |
| Aug 12, 2021 | Clark County | I-5 | 2 |
| Aug 11, 2021 | Sunnyside, Yakima County | I-82 | 1 |
| Aug 11, 2021 | Grant County | SR-283 | 2 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | Seattle, King County | CALIFORNIA AVE SW | 1 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | Pierce County | SR-7 | 1 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | Cowlitz County | I-5 | 1 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | Garfield County | US-12 | 1 |
| Aug 9, 2021 | Des Moines, King County | SR-509 | 1 |
| Aug 9, 2021 | Tacoma, Pierce County | E 27TH ST | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in Washington in 2021
| Area | Deaths, 2021 | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 6 | 29.1 |
| Asotin County | 0 | — |
| Benton County | 20 | 9.5 |
| Chelan County | 7 | 8.8 |
| Clallam County | 10 | 12.7 |
| Clark County | 36 | 7.0 |
| Columbia County | 0 | — |
| Cowlitz County | 15 | 13.4 |
| Douglas County | 4 | 9.1 |
| Ferry County | 4 | 54.9 |
| Franklin County | 9 | 9.2 |
| Garfield County | 2 | 85.2 |
| Grant County | 22 | 21.9 |
| Grays Harbor County | 14 | 18.2 |
| Island County | 6 | 6.8 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | 11.9 |
| King County | 137 | 6.1 |
| Kitsap County | 17 | 6.1 |
| Kittitas County | 3 | 6.6 |
| Klickitat County | 0 | — |
| Lewis County | 8 | 9.5 |
| Lincoln County | 3 | 26.6 |
| Mason County | 10 | 14.9 |
| Okanogan County | 6 | 14.0 |
| Pacific County | 1 | 4.2 |
| Pend Oreille County | 3 | 21.6 |
| Pierce County | 98 | 10.6 |
| San Juan County | 3 | 16.1 |
| Skagit County | 13 | 9.9 |
| Skamania County | 3 | 24.6 |
| Snohomish County | 38 | 4.5 |
| Spokane County | 57 | 10.4 |
| Stevens County | 6 | 12.6 |
| Thurston County | 24 | 8.0 |
| Wahkiakum County | 0 | — |
| Walla Walla County | 4 | 6.4 |
| Whatcom County | 19 | 8.4 |
| Whitman County | 4 | 9.2 |
| Yakima County | 58 | 22.6 |
Rankings
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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.