Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in West Virginia in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 282
- Fatal crashes
- 259
- Population
- 1.8M
In 2021, 282 people died in 259 fatal crashes in West Virginia. That was 5.6% more than in 2020 (267) and the most since 2018. The death rate was 15.8 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. West Virginia had the 37th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 18th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 13% of deaths, and 23% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
13%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 217 |
| Pedestrians | 36 |
| Motorcyclists | 29 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in West Virginia | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 36 | 13% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 29 | 10% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 65 | 23% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 64 | 23% | 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
23%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
28%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 28.2% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 22.8% | 28.2% |
| At night | 46.3% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 25.9% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
46%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 54%
26%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 80 percent of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 6 |
| 1am | 6 |
| 2am | 6 |
| 3am | 9 |
| 4am | 4 |
| 5am | 4 |
| 6am | 7 |
| 7am | 6 |
| 8am | 5 |
| 9am | 4 |
| 10am | 11 |
| 11am | 16 |
| 12pm | 8 |
| 1pm | 16 |
| 2pm | 16 |
| 3pm | 7 |
| 4pm | 21 |
| 5pm | 22 |
| 6pm | 17 |
| 7pm | 17 |
| 8pm | 18 |
| 9pm | 13 |
| 10pm | 10 |
| 11pm | 10 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 32 |
| Mon | 30 |
| Tue | 32 |
| Wed | 34 |
| Thu | 42 |
| Fri | 54 |
| Sat | 35 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 26 |
| Feb | 9 |
| Mar | 12 |
| Apr | 20 |
| May | 23 |
| Jun | 26 |
| Jul | 22 |
| Aug | 25 |
| Sep | 23 |
| Oct | 24 |
| Nov | 22 |
| Dec | 27 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 188 |
| Rain | 32 |
| Cloudy | 19 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 8 |
| Snow | 6 |
| Other | 3 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 143 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 84 |
| Dark - Lighted | 19 |
| Dusk | 7 |
| Dawn | 5 |
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
- US-5013
- US-11912
- I-6411
- I-7911
- I-777
- SR-26
- US-606
- SR-96
- SR-165
- US-194
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 119 |
| Pickup trucks | 82 |
| SUVs | 70 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 42 |
| Motorcycles | 31 |
| Other vehicles | 29 |
| Vans | 13 |
| Buses | 1 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado18
- Ford F-15015
- Chevrolet Malibu8
- Dodge Ram8
- Chevrolet Equinox7
- Ford F-3507
- Ford Ranger6
- Nissan Rogue6
- Subaru Forester6
- Toyota Corolla6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2021 | Roane County | I-79 | 1 |
| Apr 19, 2021 | Northfork, McDowell County | CR-6/2 | 1 |
| Apr 17, 2021 | Craigsville, Nicholas County | SR-55 | 1 |
| Apr 16, 2021 | McMechen, Marshall County | US-50 | 1 |
| Apr 16, 2021 | Baker, Hardy County | SR-55 | 1 |
| Apr 13, 2021 | Chapmanville, Logan County | US-119 | 1 |
| Apr 12, 2021 | Raleigh County | SR-3 | 1 |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Petersburg, Grant County | SR-28 | 1 |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Bridgeport, Harrison County | US-50 | 1 |
| Apr 7, 2021 | Shady Spring, Raleigh County | SR-3 HINTON RD | 1 |
| Apr 5, 2021 | Parkersburg, Wood County | US-50 ROBERT BYRD HIGHWAY | 1 |
| Apr 4, 2021 | Elm Grove, Ohio County | I-470 | 1 |
| Mar 26, 2021 | Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County | SR-9 | 1 |
| Mar 24, 2021 | Summers County | SR-12 | 1 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Fort Ashby, Mineral County | SR-28 | 1 |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Herndon, Wyoming County | CR-16/2 | 1 |
| Mar 12, 2021 | Belleville, Wood County | CR-15 | 1 |
| Mar 10, 2021 | Maybeury, McDowell County | CR- 52/14 | 1 |
| Mar 10, 2021 | New Milton, Doddridge County | CR-25 | 1 |
| Mar 4, 2021 | Reedsville, Preston County | SR-7 | 1 |
| Mar 4, 2021 | Princeton, Mercer County | US-460 | 1 |
| Mar 4, 2021 | Junction, Hampshire County | US-50 | 2 |
| Mar 2, 2021 | Pliny, Putnam County | US-35 | 2 |
| Mar 1, 2021 | Beckwith, Fayette County | CR-13 | 1 |
| Feb 27, 2021 | Ashford, Boone County | CR-1 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in West Virginia in 2021
Rankings
Nearby states
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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.