Data stories

What the data shows

Short write-ups on patterns in the fatal crash data. Every figure comes from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and links back to the pages it comes from.

  1. Most people killed in distracted driving crashes were not the distracted driver: 2012–2024 data

    Of 16,481 people killed in distraction-affected crashes in 2020–2024, 60% were not the distracted driver. A phone was recorded in 12.6% of these deaths.

  2. US traffic deaths per mile driven fell by two-thirds, then rose: 1975–2024 data

    US traffic deaths per 100 million miles driven fell from 3.35 in 1975 to 1.08 in 2014, rose to 1.38 in 2021 and were 1.19 in 2024. How states compare.

  3. Which days of the year have the most traffic deaths? 2020–2024 data

    July 4 averages 152 traffic deaths, a third more than a typical day, and September and October have the most deaths per day. US data for 2020–2024.

  4. Four times as many motorcyclists die in August as in January: 2020–2024 data

    Of 30,605 motorcyclists killed on US roads in 2020–2024, 3,753 died in August and 931 in January. In Florida, more died in winter than in summer.

  5. Three in four pedestrian deaths happen after dark: 2020–2024 data

    Of 36,075 pedestrians killed on US roads in 2020–2024, 76% died in the dark, and a third of those had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher.

  6. Two in five US traffic deaths happen on rural roads: 2020–2024 data

    Of the people killed on US roads in 2020–2024, 41% died on rural roads, including half of all vehicle occupants but only 16% of pedestrians.

  7. Teen drivers and drivers over 75 in fatal crashes: 2020–2024 data

    18,335 drivers aged 15–19 and 16,732 aged 75+ were in fatal US crashes in 2020–2024. Most teens' crashes were at night; most older drivers' were by day.

  8. US road deaths since 1975: 50 years of data, 1975 to 2024

    US traffic deaths peaked at 51,093 in 1979 and fell to 32,479 in 2011 before rising again. How deaths of pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists changed.

  9. US traffic deaths fell for a third straight year in 2024

    39,254 people died on US roads in 2024, 4.3% fewer than in 2023 and 9% below the 2021 peak, but still 8% more than in 2019. Where deaths fell and rose.

  10. Nine in ten fatal crashes happen in clear or cloudy weather: 2020–2024 data

    Where the weather was recorded, 90.4% of US fatal crashes in 2020–2024 happened in clear or cloudy weather and 7.1% in rain. Data by weather, month and road.

  11. What time of day do most fatal crashes happen? 2020–2024 data

    More than half of fatal crashes happen between 6pm and 6am, and Saturday is the day with the most deaths. Hour-by-hour US data for 2020–2024.

  12. Fewer than one in five speeding deaths happen on highways: 2020–2024 data

    Of 59,284 speeding-related deaths in 2020–2024, 17.5% were on interstates and freeways. On local roads, 35.6% of deaths were speeding-related.