Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Washington in 2023

State in United States

Deaths, 2023
809
Fatal crashes
732
Population
7.8M

In 2023, 809 people died in 732 fatal crashes in Washington, about 2 a day. That was 8.9% more than in 2022 (743) and the most since 1990. The death rate was 10.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.2 in the United States. Washington had the 20th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 35th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 19% of deaths, and 33% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

10.3

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023

  • About 85 percent of the rate in the United States: 12.2

+9%

change in deaths from 2022 to 2023

743 deaths in 2022, 809 in 2023

  • The United States: -4%

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

Road users

Who died

19%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2023
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 499
Pedestrians 151
Motorcyclists 142
Cyclists 17
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Deaths by type, 2023
Type Deaths Share in Washington Share in the US
Pedestrians 151 19% 18%
Motorcyclists 142 18% 16%
Cyclists 17 2% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 290 36% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 270 33% 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

33%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%

32%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2023
Category Washington United States
Speeding-related 32.0% 25.6%
Alcohol-involved 32.8% 28.2%
At night 55.3% 54.1%
At weekends 35.9% 33.5%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

55%

of fatal crashes happened at night

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

36%

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 35
1am 25
2am 33
3am 24
4am 20
5am 21
6am 18
7am 19
8am 14
9am 15
10am 18
11am 23
12pm 35
1pm 28
2pm 39
3pm 26
4pm 37
5pm 55
6pm 42
7pm 29
8pm 44
9pm 46
10pm 37
11pm 49

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 111
Mon 78
Tue 91
Wed 94
Thu 90
Fri 116
Sat 152

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 46
Feb 52
Mar 50
Apr 55
May 67
Jun 70
Jul 55
Aug 79
Sep 72
Oct 66
Nov 61
Dec 59

All crashes 2023.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 496
Cloudy 119
Rain 87
Fog, Smog, Smoke 14
Other 4
Snow 3

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 321
Dark - Not Lighted 180
Dark - Lighted 172
Dusk 25
Dark - Unknown Lighting 18
Dawn 7

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-529
  2. I-9023
  3. US-39516
  4. US-215
  5. US-10114
  6. SR-9913
  7. SR-711
  8. US-1210
  9. SR-5169
  10. SR-39

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 397
SUVs 232
Pickup trucks 178
Motorcycles 142
Medium and heavy trucks 76
Vans 38
Other vehicles 25
Buses 4
Other light trucks 4

All crashes 2023.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Chevrolet Silverado33
  2. Honda Civic33
  3. Toyota Camry26
  4. Honda Accord25
  5. Ford F-15024
  6. Toyota Tacoma20
  7. Dodge Ram19
  8. Honda CR-V18
  9. Toyota RAV417
  10. Ford Ranger13

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
Dec 30, 2023 Yakima, Yakima County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Kent, King County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Pierce County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Kent, King County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Grant County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Bellingham, Whatcom County 2
Dec 27, 2023 Yakima County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Auburn, King County 1
Dec 26, 2023 Auburn, King County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Inchelium, Ferry County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Snohomish County 1
Dec 23, 2023 Kent, King County 1
Dec 23, 2023 Renton, King County 1
Dec 23, 2023 Seattle, King County 1
Dec 23, 2023 Franklin County 1
Dec 22, 2023 Federal Way, King County 2
Dec 21, 2023 Seattle, King County 1
Dec 21, 2023 Clallam County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Clark County 2
Dec 20, 2023 Snohomish County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Snohomish County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Vancouver, Clark County 1
Dec 19, 2023 Gig Harbor, Pierce County 1
Dec 19, 2023 Renton, King County 1
Dec 17, 2023 Cowlitz County 2

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Nearby and related

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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.