Motor-vehicle deaths in the United States have decreased greatly since the 1970s and 1980s. In 2023, there were around **** deaths from motor vehicles per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of **** deaths per 100,000 in 1970. Laws requiring drivers and passengers to wear safety belts and advancements in safety technology in vehicles are major drivers for these reductions. Motor-vehicle accidents in the U.S. Americans spend a significant amount of time behind the wheel. Many cities lack convenient and reliable public transportation and, especially in rural areas, cars are a necessary means of transportation. In 2020, August was the month with the highest number of fatal crashes, followed by September and June. The deadliest time of day for fatal vehicle crashes is between * and * p.m., most likely due to the after-work rush hour and more people who are under the influence of alcohol. Drinking and driving among youth Drinking and driving remains a relevant problem across the United States and can be especially problematic among younger people. In 2023, around *** percent of those aged 21 to 25 years in the United States reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the preceding year. Furthermore, around ***** percent of those aged 16 to 20 drove after drinking within the past year.

The graph displays the number of car accident fatalities by type in the United States from 2010 to 2022. The x-axis represents the years, labeled from '10 to '22, while the y-axis indicates the number of fatalities. Each year includes data points for four categories: Passenger Vehicle, Pedestrian, Two-Wheeled Vehicle, and Large Truck fatalities. Passenger Vehicle fatalities range from a low of 21,076 in 2014 to a high of 26,650 in 2021. Pedestrian fatalities increase from 4,300 in 2010 to a peak of 7,467 in 2022. Two-Wheeled Vehicle fatalities vary between 5,022 in 2014 and 7,287 in 2022. Large Truck fatalities are the lowest among the categories, ranging from 346 in 2010 to 533 in 2022. The data reveals an overall upward trend in fatalities across all categories, particularly notable in the years 2021 and 2022.

The number of road traffic fatalities per one million inhabitants in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 18.5 deaths (+13.81 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the number is estimated to reach 152.46 deaths and therefore a new peak in 2029. Depicted here are the estimated number of deaths which occured in relation to road traffic. They are set in relation to the population size and depicted as deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of road traffic fatalities per one million inhabitants in countries like Mexico and Canada.

About 228,200 Americans had a license to operate a motor vehicle in the United States in 2020. That year, an estimated 36,680 people died on U.S. roads. Traffic-related fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers stood at 17.01 in 2020.

Road safety rankings
The United States has among the highest rates of road fatalities per population worldwide. Possible contributing factors to deaths on the road can include speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and driving while fatigued. Traffic fatalities caused by speeding in the United States have declined since 2008, with less than 10,000 deaths recorded annually over recent years.

Automation for the nation
94 percent of severe automobile crashes are due to human error — but driving safety is taken much more seriously today than in the past, with roughly 90 percent of U.S. drivers wearing their seatbelts while driving in 2020. Over recent years, car manufacturers and developers have striven to reduce car crashes even further with partially and fully automated safety features such as forward collision warnings, lane departure warnings, rearview video systems, and automatic emergency braking. Self-driving vehicles are also set to take to the roads in the future, with car brands such as Toyota, Ford, and GM registering over 350 autonomous driving patents respectively in the United States.

The Measurement template document is available at the archived version of this page on the UK Government Web Archive.

DfT Business plan

Geographical coverage: Great Britain

Information broken down by: Accident site. Data are available by geographical area, age, gender and type of road user.

Latest data

In 2013:

• 1,713 people were killed in reported road traffic accidents in Great Britain, 2% (41) fewer than in 2012. This is the lowest number of fatalities since national records began in 1926. The total number of people killed in 2013 was 39% lower than the 2005-09 baseline average
• the number of fatalities decreased for pedestrians, pedal cyclists and car occupants, by 5%, 8% and 2% respectively, but increased for motorcycle users by 1%. Over the same period motor vehicle traffic remained broadly stable, with a small increase of 0.4% between 2012 and 2013
• with the exception of 2011, road deaths have fallen every year since 2004. Adverse weather (heavy snow falls) experienced in the first and last quarters of 2010 but not in 2011, is likely to be the main factor behind the increase in fatalities recorded in 2011

Year	Road accident fatalities	% change from previous year
2000	3,409	-0.4
2001	3,450	1.2
2002	3,431	-0.6
2003	3,508	2.2
2004	3,221	-8.2
2005	3,201	-0.6
2006	3,175	-0.9
2007	2,946	-7.1
2008	2,538	-13.8
2009	2,222	-12.5
2010	1,850	-16.7
2011	1,901	2.8
2012	1,754	-7.7
2013	1,713	-2.3

The complete set of data is available for download.

Background information

The indicator can be broken down by any geographical area (eg country, region, local authority) since a grid reference is collected for each accident. Information is also available by age, gender, type of road user and road type. Numbers will be relatively small for more detailed breakdowns of the total and may therefore fluctuate from year to year. This needs to be taken into account when assessing trends.

• publishing schedule: annual
• last updated: September 2014
• next update: July 2015

Other related data and information

More detailed analysis and time series can be found in Reported road casualties Great Britain: annual report.

Record level data on accidents and casualties can be found in http://data.gov.uk/dataset/road-accidents-safety-data/">Record level data

Further information

• Business Plan 2012 to 2015
• Input and impact indicators
• Analyst contact: Anil Bhagat, roadacc.stats@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Some 44,800 road traffic fatalities occurred in the United States in 2023, and projections estimate 2024 fatalities could drop to 44,700. Motor vehicle crashes and drug overdoses are the leading causes of death among those under the age of 55 in the United States.

This table contains data on the annual number of fatal and severe road traffic injuries per population and per miles traveled by transport mode, for California, its regions, counties, county divisions, cities/towns, and census tracts. Injury data is from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), California Highway Patrol (CHP), 2002-2010 data from the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) . The table is part of a series of indicators in the [Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity]. Transportation accidents are the second leading cause of death in California for people under the age of 45 and account for an average of 4,018 deaths per year (2006-2010). Risks of injury in traffic collisions are greatest for motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists and lowest for bus and rail passengers. Minority communities bear a disproportionate share of pedestrian-car fatalities; Native American male pedestrians experience 4 times the death rate as Whites or Asians, and African-Americans and Latinos experience twice the rate as Whites or Asians. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

This indicator provides information about the mortality rate from motor vehicle crashes and traffic-related injuries, including among pedestrians. Death rate has been age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Single-year data are only available for Los Angeles County overall, Service Planning Areas, Supervisorial Districts, City of Los Angeles overall, and City of Los Angeles Council Districts.Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death from unintentional injury both in Los Angeles County and in the US. While many factors contribute to motor vehicle crash mortality, the built environment plays a critical role. Communities that are exposed to heavy traffic or that lack adequate walking infrastructure for pedestrians have higher rates of motor vehicle crash-related injuries and deaths. They are also more impacted by traffic-related environmental hazards, such as vehicle emissions and air pollution. In Los Angeles County, many of these communities are also home to a large number of low-income residents. Thus, motor vehicle crash mortality can be viewed as an environmental justice issue.For more information about the Community Health Profiles Data Initiative, please see the initiative homepage.

The average for 2019 based on 180 countries was 17.05 deaths per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Dominican Republic: 64.6 deaths per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Antigua and Barbuda: 0 deaths per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

These data represent the Age-Adjusted Colorado County Mortality Rate Per 100,000 Persons for Motor Vehicle Accident as the Underlying Cause of Death (2015-2019). Population estimates for the denominator are calculated from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey. These data are from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Vital Records Death Dataset and are published annually by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Traffic fatalities within the City of Chicago that are included in Vision Zero Chicago (VZC) statistics. Vision Zero is Chicago’s commitment to eliminating fatalities and serious injuries from traffic crashes. The VZC Traffic Fatality List is compiled by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) after monthly reviews of fatal traffic crash information provided by Chicago Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit (MAIU). CDOT uses a standardized process – sometimes differing from other sources and everyday use of the term -- to determine whether a death is a “traffic fatality.” Therefore, the traffic fatalities included in this list may differ from the fatal crashes reported in the full Traffic Crashes dataset (https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/85ca-t3if). Official traffic crash data are published by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) on an annual basis. This VZC Traffic Fatality List is updated monthly. Once IDOT publishes its crash data for a year, this dataset is edited to reflect IDOT’s findings. VZC Traffic Fatalities can be linked with other traffic crash datasets using the “Person_ID” field. State of Illinois considers a “traffic fatality” as any death caused by a traffic crash involving a motor vehicle, within 30 days of the crash. Fatalities that meet this definition are included in this VZC Traffic Fatality List unless excluded by any criteria below. There may be records in this dataset that do not appear as fatalities in the other datasets. The following criteria exclude a death from being considered a "traffic fatality," and are derived from Federal and State reporting standards. The Medical Examiner determined that the primary cause of the fatality was not the traffic crash, including: a. The fatality was reported as a suicide based on a police investigation. b. The fatality was reported as a homicide in which the "party at fault" intentionally inflicted serious bodily harm that caused the victim's death. c. The fatality was caused directly and exclusively by a medical condition or the fatality was not attributable to road user movement on a public roadway. (Note: If a person driving suffers a medical emergency and consequently hits and kills another road user, the other road user is included, although the driver suffering a medical emergency is excluded.) The crash did not occur within a trafficway. The crash involved a train or other such mode of transport within the rail dedicated right-of-way. The fatality was on a roadway not under Chicago Police Department jurisdiction, including: a. The fatality was occurred on an expressway. The City of Chicago does not have oversight on the expressway system. However, a fatality on expressway ramps occurring within the City jurisdiction will be counted in VZC Traffic Fatality List. b. The fatality occurred outside City limits. Crashes on streets along the City boundary may be assigned to another jurisdiction after the investigation if it is determined that the crash started or substantially occurred on the side of the street that is outside the City limits. Jurisdiction of streets along the City boundary are split between City and neighboring jurisdictions along the street centerline. The fatality is not a person (e.g., an animal). Change 12/7/2023: We have removed the RD_NO (Chicago Police Department report number) for privacy reasons.

The Motor Vehicle Collisions crash table contains details on the crash event. Each row represents a crash event. The Motor Vehicle Collisions data tables contain information from all police reported motor vehicle collisions in NYC. The police report (MV104-AN) is required to be filled out for collisions where someone is injured or killed, or where there is at least $1000 worth of damage (https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/ny_overlay_mv-104an_rev05_2004.pdf). It should be noted that the data is preliminary and subject to change when the MV-104AN forms are amended based on revised crash details.For the most accurate, up to date statistics on traffic fatalities, please refer to the NYPD Motor Vehicle Collisions page (updated weekly) or Vision Zero View (updated monthly).

Due to success of the CompStat program, NYPD began to ask how to apply the CompStat principles to other problems. Other than homicides, the fatal incidents with which police have the most contact with the public are fatal traffic collisions. Therefore in April 1998, the Department implemented TrafficStat, which uses the CompStat model to work towards improving traffic safety. Police officers complete form MV-104AN for all vehicle collisions. The MV-104AN is a New York State form that has all of the details of a traffic collision. Before implementing Trafficstat, there was no uniform traffic safety data collection procedure for all of the NYPD precincts. Therefore, the Police Department implemented the Traffic Accident Management System (TAMS) in July 1999 in order to collect traffic data in a uniform method across the City. TAMS required the precincts manually enter a few selected MV-104AN fields to collect very basic intersection traffic crash statistics which included the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. As the years progressed, there grew a need for additional traffic data so that more detailed analyses could be conducted. The Citywide traffic safety initiative, Vision Zero started in the year 2014. Vision Zero further emphasized the need for the collection of more traffic data in order to work towards the Vision Zero goal, which is to eliminate traffic fatalities. Therefore, the Department in March 2016 replaced the TAMS with the new Finest Online Records Management System (FORMS). FORMS enables the police officers to electronically, using a Department cellphone or computer, enter all of the MV-104AN data fields and stores all of the MV-104AN data fields in the Department’s crime data warehouse. Since all of the MV-104AN data fields are now stored for each traffic collision, detailed traffic safety analyses can be conducted as applicable.

The graph illustrates the number of car accidents in the United States from 2013 to 2023. The x-axis represents the years, abbreviated from '13 to '23, while the y-axis displays the annual number of crashes. Over this 11-year period, the number of accidents ranges from a low of 5,251,006 in 2020 to a high of 6,821,129 in 2016. Other notable figures include 6,756,084 crashes in 2019 and 5,686,891 in 2013. The data exhibits significant fluctuations, with a peak in 2016, a sharp decline in 2020, and subsequent variations in the following years. This information is presented in a line graph format, effectively highlighting the yearly changes and overall variability in car accidents across the United States.

Abstract Background Traffic accidents are a major global public health problem with an impact on morbidity and mortality. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the mortality trend from road accidents among young adults. Method An ecological time-series study was performed of the deaths of young (15-24 years old) in traffic accidents in the state of Parana, Brazil from 1996 to 2013. Mortality data was obtained from the Mortality Information System. Mortality rates were calculated and the trend analysis was performed through polynomial regression models. A trend was considered significant when the estimated model obtained a p-value <0.05. Accidents involving tricycles were excluded from the analysis (58 cases). Results Of the 12,063 deaths from road accidents, 82.0% were male. There was a significant and growing trend of accident mortality rates involving motorcyclists and car and pick-up truck occupants, and a decreasing trend of fatal accidents involving pedestrians. The average mortality rate for accidents involving motorcyclists was 10 deaths per 100,000 residents, an increase of 1.13 per year. Accidents involving car occupants increased annually by 0.43 and accidents involving pick-up truck occupants by 0.01. Conclusion There was a significant increasing trend for fatalities of both genders, especially motorcyclists and car occupants. The pedestrian mortality trend has shown a decreasing due to their lower exposure.

The number of road-traffic related injuries in the United States has decreased by roughly 17 percent between 2019 and 2020, whereas fatalities increased by almost 8 percent. Between 2010 and 2020, road traffic injuries in the United States grew by nearly 34,000 incidents to some 2.28 million road traffic related injuries in 2020. Over the same period, fatalities also increased by about 5,800. This follows two decades of a general decrease in the amount of traffic-related injuries.

Why are traffic injuries increasing? In the United States, male drivers are behind the wheel in the majority of fatal crashes. Though speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are often to blame, neither have led to a rise in traffic fatalities in the U.S.: instead, cellphones are primarily the cause. Smartphone ownership has become almost omnipresent in the U.S. since 2010, and drivers are likely to be distracted by texting and using social media. Young drivers are the ones accounting for the highest share of cellphone use fatalities.

Changes in mobility Another reason why fatal accidents are rising in number is that non-occupants’ exposure to risk is also increasing. As residents become more encouraged to walk or cycle in cities, the extra time amongst traffic has led to higher rates of fatalities and injuries amongst cyclists and pedestrians. Lastly, poor infrastructure and lack of awareness by motorists is prevalent in large parts of the United States.

Indicator 3.6.1The death rate due to road traffic injuries.Methodology:Road accident death rate per 100,000 population by region =(Total road traffic deaths in area X 100,000) / population in the regionNote:The area represents (traffic sections),The number of road traffic fatalities was calculated by collecting the number of fatalities from traffic accidents in Qatar monthly statistics for each year.Data Source:Ministry of Public Health and National Planning Council Calculation.

CL: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data was reported at 42.928 Ratio in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 47.360 Ratio for 2020. CL: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data is updated yearly, averaging 45.296 Ratio from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2021, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 58.716 Ratio in 2018 and a record low of 42.928 Ratio in 2021. CL: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Chile – Table CL.OECD.ITF: Road Traffic and Road Accident Fatalities: OECD Member: Annual. [COVERAGE] ROAD FATALITIES A road fatality is any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an injury accident, excluding suicides. A killed person is excluded if the competent authority declares the cause of death to be suicide, i.e. a deliberate act to injure oneself resulting in death. For countries that do not apply the threshold of 30 days, conversion coefficients are estimated so that comparison on the basis of the 30-day definition can be made. ROAD TRAFFIC Road traffic is any movement of a road vehicle on a given road network. When a road vehicle is being carried on another vehicle, only the movement of the carrying (active mode) is considered. [COVERAGE] ROAD FATALITIES Data do not include suicides. Since 2019, data include also killed after a road crash involving a train. ROAD TRAFFIC Data refer only to interurban road motor vehicle traffic. [STAT_CONC_DEF] ROAD FATALITIES Until 2018, data refer to fatalities within 24 hours after the crash occurred. An adjustment factor of 1.3 was used to comply with the 30-days definition, as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Since 2019, data refer to fatalities within 48 hours after the crash occurred. An adjustment factor of 1.2 was used to comply with the 30-days definition, as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). ROAD TRAFFIC In 2019, there has been a change in the methodology.

In 2024, the state of California reported ***** motor-vehicle deaths, an increase from the year before. Death from motor-vehicles remains a relevant problem across the United States. Motor-vehicle deaths in the United States In the United States, a person’s lifetime odds of dying in a motor vehicle accident is around * in **. Death rates from motor vehicles have decreased in recent years and are significantly lower than the rates recorded in the ***** and *****. This is due to a mass improvement in car safety standards and features. For example, all states, with the exception of New Hampshire, have laws against not wearing safety belts. Drinking and driving One of the biggest causes of motor-vehicle deaths is driving while under the influence of alcohol. The state with the highest number of fatalities due to alcohol-impaired driving in 2022 was Texas, followed by California and Florida. Light trucks are the vehicle type most often involved in fatal crashes caused by alcohol-impaired drivers, with around ***** such accidents in the United States in 2022.

Turkey TR: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data was reported at 15.204 Ratio in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16.269 Ratio for 2021. Turkey TR: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data is updated yearly, averaging 19.949 Ratio from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2022, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.999 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 15.204 Ratio in 2022. Turkey TR: Road Fatalities: Per One Million Vehicle-km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Turkey – Table TR.OECD.ITF: Road Traffic and Road Accident Fatalities: OECD Member: Annual. [COVERAGE] ROAD FATALITIES A road fatality is any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an injury accident, excluding suicides. A killed person is excluded if the competent authority declares the cause of death to be suicide, i.e. a deliberate act to injure oneself resulting in death. For countries that do not apply the threshold of 30 days, conversion coefficients are estimated so that comparison on the basis of the 30-day definition can be made. ROAD TRAFFIC Road traffic is any movement of a road vehicle on a given road network. When a road vehicle is being carried on another vehicle, only the movement of the carrying (active mode) is considered. [COVERAGE] ROAD TRAFFIC Data come from odometer readings and include all motor vehicle movements on the territory, irrespective of the country of registration.

The State of Michigan’s criteria for a crash is a motor vehicle that was in transport and on the roadway, that resulted in death, injury, or property damage of $1,000 or more. Traffic crashes in this dataset are derived from SEMCOG’s Open Data Portal. Each row in the dataset represents a traffic crash that includes data about when and where the crash occurred, road conditions, number of individuals involved in the crash, and various factors that apply to the crash (Train, Bus, Deer, etc.). Also included is the number of injuries and fatalities that are associated with the crash.