Fatal crash profile · City
Traffic deaths in Charleston, West Virginia
City in Kanawha County · West Virginia · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 6
- Fatal crashes
- 6
- Population
- 46.4K
In 2024, 6 people died in 6 fatal crashes in Charleston, West Virginia. That was 50.0% more than in 2023 (4) and the most since 2022. The death rate was 12.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 16.1 in Kanawha County, 14.5 in West Virginia and 11.5 in the United States. Between 2020 and 2024, 33 people died, an average of 6.6 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year. Pedestrians accounted for 50% of deaths, and 17% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
12.9
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 80 percent of the rate in Kanawha County, West Virginia: 16.1
- About 90 percent of the rate in West Virginia: 14.5
- About 1.1 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
+50%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
4 deaths in 2023, 6 in 2024
- Kanawha County, West Virginia: +8%
- West Virginia: -2%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7 | 7 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 |
| 2022 | 11 | 10 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 14.4 |
| 2021 | 10.4 |
| 2022 | 23.3 |
| 2023 | 8.6 |
| 2024 | 12.9 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
50%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About double the share in Kanawha County, West Virginia: 25%
- About 5 times the share in West Virginia: 10%
- About 3 times the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 1 |
| Pedestrians | 3 |
| Motorcyclists | 2 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Charleston | Share in Kanawha County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 3 | 50% | 25% |
| Motorcyclists | 2 | 33% | 18% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 0 | 0% | 29% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1 | 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
17%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 55 percent of the share in Kanawha County, West Virginia: 30%
- About 55 percent of the share in West Virginia: 30%
- About 60 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
17%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About 55 percent of the share in Kanawha County, West Virginia: 30%
- About 55 percent of the share in West Virginia: 30%
- About two-thirds of the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Charleston | Kanawha County | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 16.7% | 29.6% | 30.3% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 16.7% | 29.6% | 30.3% | 28.1% |
| At night | 50.0% | 55.6% | 42.9% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 0.0% | 33.3% | 35.7% | 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia: 56%
- About 1.2 times the share in West Virginia: 43%
- About the same as the share in the United States: 54%
0%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 5 percent of the share in Kanawha County, West Virginia: 33%
- About 5 percent of the share in West Virginia: 36%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 0 |
| 1am | 1 |
| 2am | 2 |
| 3am | 1 |
| 4am | 0 |
| 5am | 0 |
| 6am | 1 |
| 7am | 0 |
| 8am | 2 |
| 9am | 1 |
| 10am | 1 |
| 11am | 2 |
| 12pm | 1 |
| 1pm | 1 |
| 2pm | 4 |
| 3pm | 1 |
| 4pm | 0 |
| 5pm | 0 |
| 6pm | 1 |
| 7pm | 5 |
| 8pm | 2 |
| 9pm | 1 |
| 10pm | 2 |
| 11pm | 3 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 3 |
| Mon | 1 |
| Tue | 3 |
| Wed | 3 |
| Thu | 9 |
| Fri | 9 |
| Sat | 4 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 3 |
| Feb | 3 |
| Mar | 3 |
| Apr | 1 |
| May | 4 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 3 |
| Aug | 4 |
| Sep | 2 |
| Oct | 3 |
| Nov | 4 |
| Dec | 0 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 23 |
| Cloudy | 4 |
| Rain | 4 |
| Snow | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 18 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 7 |
| Dark - Lighted | 6 |
| 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
- I-774
- US-1193
- US-603
- SR-1142
- US-119 PENNSYLVANIA AVE2
- US-60 WASHINGTON ST E2
- CR-211
- CR-114/011
- CENTRAL AVE1
- 7TH AVE1
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 19 |
| SUVs | 8 |
| Pickup trucks | 6 |
| Motorcycles | 5 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 4 |
| Other vehicles | 2 |
| Vans | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Hyundai Elantra3
- GMC Sierra2
- Toyota Camry2
- Toyota Corolla2
- BMW F 700 GS1
- Buick LeSabre1
- Cadillac Escalade1
- Chevrolet Camaro1
- Chevrolet Colorado1
- Chevrolet Equinox1
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.
Filter crashes
| Date | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2020 | US-60 | 1 |
| Aug 20, 2020 | I-77 | 1 |
| Aug 1, 2020 | 7TH AVE | 1 |
| Jul 31, 2020 | US-119 | 1 |
| Jun 14, 2020 | SMITH RD | 1 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | SR-114 | 1 |
| Mar 6, 2020 | Grant Street | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
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.