Fatality Facts 2024Yearly snapshot

Overview

A total of 39,254 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2024. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s most recent estimate of the annual economic cost of crashes is $340 billion (Blincoe et al., 2023). Contributing to the death toll are alcohol, speeding, lack of seat belt use and other problematic behaviors. Death rates vary by vehicle type, driver age and sex, and other factors.

In 1975, the U.S. Department of Transportation started an annual census of motor vehicle deaths, recording information on crash type, vehicle type, road type, driver characteristics and a variety of other factors. Institute researchers analyze these data each year to quantify the public health problem of motor vehicle deaths.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Posted June 2026.

Trends

Although the U.S. population has grown continuously since the 1970s, the death toll from motor vehicle crashes has not. The rate of crash deaths per 100,000 people in 2024 was 44% lower than it was in 1975, and the rate per 100 million miles traveled has declined 64%.

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people and per 100 million miles, 1975-2024

Motor vehicle crash deaths per population and miles traveled, 1975-2024
Year	Deaths	Population	Rate per 100,000 people	Miles traveled (millions)	Rate per 100 million miles
1975	44,525	215,973,199	20.6	1,330,074	3.35
1976	45,523	218,035,164	20.9	1,409,163	3.23
1977	47,878	220,239,425	21.7	1,476,567	3.24
1978	50,331	222,584,545	22.6	1,548,213	3.25
1979	51,093	225,055,487	22.7	1,529,133	3.34
1980	51,091	227,224,719	22.5	1,520,857	3.36
1981	49,301	229,465,608	21.5	1,550,271	3.18
1982	43,945	231,664,496	19.0	1,592,481	2.76
1983	42,589	233,791,903	18.2	1,649,106	2.58
1984	44,257	235,824,783	18.8	1,716,768	2.58
1985	43,825	237,923,732	18.4	1,774,762	2.47
1986	46,087	240,132,841	19.2	1,838,240	2.51
1987	46,390	242,289,023	19.1	1,924,327	2.41
1988	47,087	244,498,836	19.3	2,025,586	2.32
1989	45,582	246,819,119	18.5	2,107,040	2.16
1990	44,599	249,464,396	17.9	2,147,501	2.08
1991	41,508	252,153,092	16.5	2,172,214	1.91
1992	39,250	255,029,699	15.4	2,239,828	1.75
1993	40,150	257,782,608	15.6	2,296,585	1.75
1994	40,716	260,327,021	15.6	2,357,588	1.73
1995	41,817	262,803,276	15.9	2,422,775	1.73
1996	42,065	265,228,572	15.9	2,482,202	1.69
1997	42,013	267,783,607	15.7	2,560,373	1.64
1998	41,501	270,248,003	15.4	2,625,367	1.58
1999	41,717	272,690,813	15.3	2,691,335	1.55
2000	41,945	282,192,162	14.9	2,749,803	1.53
2001	42,196	285,102,075	14.8	2,781,462	1.52
2002	43,005	287,941,220	14.9	2,855,756	1.51
2003	42,884	290,788,976	14.7	2,890,893	1.48
2004	42,836	293,655,404	14.6	2,962,513	1.45
2005	43,510	296,410,404	14.7	2,989,807	1.46
2006	42,708	299,398,484	14.3	3,014,116	1.42
2007	41,259	301,621,157	13.7	3,032,399	1.36
2008	37,423	304,059,724	12.3	2,973,509	1.26
2009	33,883	307,006,550	11.0	2,977,591	1.14
2010	32,999	309,327,143	10.7	2,966,506	1.11
2011	32,479	311,583,481	10.4	2,946,131	1.10
2012	33,782	313,877,662	10.8	2,969,433	1.14
2013	32,894	316,059,947	10.4	2,988,280	1.10
2014	32,744	318,386,329	10.3	3,025,656	1.08
2015	35,485	320,738,994	11.1	3,095,373	1.15
2016	37,806	323,071,755	11.7	3,174,408	1.19
2017	37,473	325,122,128	11.5	3,212,347	1.17
2018	36,835	326,838,199	11.3	3,240,327	1.14
2019	36,355	328,329,953	11.1	3,261,772	1.11
2020	39,007	329,484,123	11.8	2,903,622	1.34
2021	43,230	331,893,745	13.0	3,140,088	1.38
2022	42,721	333,287,557	12.8	3,196,191	1.34
2023	41,025	334,914,895	12.2	3,246,817	1.26
2024	39,254	340,110,988	11.5	3,294,031	1.19

Fifty-eight percent of crash fatalities in 2024 were passenger vehicle occupants, 18% were pedestrians, 16% were motorcyclists, 3% were bicyclists, and 2% were occupants of large trucks.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by type, 1975-2024
Year	Passenger vehicle occupants		Pedestrians		Motorcyclists		Bicyclists		Large truck occupants		Other		All motor vehicle deaths
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number
1975	30,785	69	7,516	17	3,189	7	1,003	2	961	2	1,071	2	44,525
1976	31,604	69	7,427	16	3,312	7	914	2	1,132	2	1,134	2	45,523
1977	32,758	68	7,732	16	4,104	9	922	2	1,287	3	1,075	2	47,878
1978	34,898	69	7,795	15	4,577	9	892	2	1,395	3	774	2	50,331
1979	34,986	68	8,096	16	4,894	10	932	2	1,432	3	753	1	51,093
1980	34,935	68	8,070	16	5,144	10	965	2	1,262	2	715	1	51,091
1981	33,726	68	7,837	16	4,906	10	936	2	1,133	2	763	2	49,301
1982	29,689	68	7,331	17	4,453	10	864	2	944	2	664	2	43,945
1983	29,181	69	6,826	16	4,265	10	830	2	982	2	505	1	42,589
1984	30,116	68	7,025	16	4,608	10	838	2	1,074	2	596	1	44,257
1985	29,901	68	6,808	16	4,564	10	869	2	977	2	706	2	43,825
1986	32,261	70	6,779	15	4,566	10	929	2	926	2	626	1	46,087
1987	33,190	72	6,745	15	4,036	9	940	2	852	2	627	1	46,390
1988	34,114	72	6,870	15	3,662	8	901	2	911	2	629	1	47,087
1989	33,614	74	6,556	14	3,141	7	822	2	858	2	591	1	45,582
1990	32,693	73	6,482	15	3,244	7	853	2	705	2	622	1	44,599
1991	30,776	74	5,801	14	2,806	7	836	2	661	2	628	2	41,508
1992	29,485	75	5,549	14	2,395	6	717	2	585	1	519	1	39,250
1993	30,077	75	5,649	14	2,449	6	806	2	605	2	564	1	40,150
1994	30,901	76	5,489	13	2,320	6	796	2	670	2	540	1	40,716
1995	31,991	77	5,584	13	2,227	5	828	2	648	2	539	1	41,817
1996	32,438	77	5,449	13	2,161	5	761	2	621	1	635	2	42,065
1997	32,448	77	5,321	13	2,116	5	811	2	723	2	594	1	42,013
1998	31,899	77	5,228	13	2,294	6	757	2	742	2	581	1	41,501
1999	32,127	77	4,939	12	2,483	6	750	2	759	2	659	2	41,717
2000	32,225	77	4,763	11	2,897	7	689	2	754	2	617	1	41,945
2001	32,043	76	4,901	12	3,197	8	729	2	708	2	618	1	42,196
2002	32,843	76	4,851	11	3,270	8	663	2	689	2	689	2	43,005
2003	32,271	75	4,774	11	3,714	9	626	1	726	2	773	2	42,884
2004	31,866	74	4,675	11	4,028	9	722	2	766	2	779	2	42,836
2005	31,549	73	4,892	11	4,576	11	784	2	804	2	905	2	43,510
2006	30,686	72	4,795	11	4,837	11	769	2	805	2	816	2	42,708
2007	29,072	70	4,699	11	5,174	13	699	2	805	2	810	2	41,259
2008	25,462	68	4,414	12	5,312	14	716	2	682	2	837	2	37,423
2009	23,447	69	4,109	12	4,469	13	628	2	499	1	731	2	33,883
2010	22,273	67	4,302	13	4,518	14	621	2	530	2	755	2	32,999
2011	21,316	66	4,457	14	4,630	14	680	2	640	2	756	2	32,479
2012	21,779	64	4,818	14	4,986	15	730	2	697	2	772	2	33,782
2013	21,224	65	4,779	15	4,692	14	747	2	695	2	757	2	32,894
2014	21,050	64	4,910	15	4,594	14	723	2	656	2	811	2	32,744
2015	22,639	64	5,495	15	5,029	14	828	2	665	2	829	2	35,485
2016	23,787	63	6,080	16	5,337	14	848	2	815	2	939	2	37,806
2017	23,663	63	6,075	16	5,226	14	800	2	878	2	831	2	37,473
2018	22,845	62	6,374	17	5,038	14	868	2	890	2	820	2	36,835
2019	22,372	62	6,272	17	5,044	14	856	2	893	2	918	3	36,355
2020	23,914	61	6,565	17	5,620	14	942	2	822	2	1,144	3	39,007
2021	26,465	61	7,470	17	6,143	14	971	2	1,011	2	1,170	3	43,230
2022	25,500	60	7,593	18	6,251	15	1,096	3	1,098	3	1,183	3	42,721
2023	24,017	59	7,367	18	6,366	16	1,163	3	962	2	1,150	3	41,025
2024	22,713	58	7,080	18	6,228	16	1,075	3	920	2	1,238	3	39,254

Age and sex

With the exception of children ages 12 and younger, males had higher per capita crash death rates than females in 2024. Males ages 85+ had the highest rates of crash deaths, while males ages 12 and younger had the lowest rate.

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age and sex, 2024
Age	Male			Female			Total*
Age	Population	Deaths	Rate	Population	Deaths	Rate	Population	Deaths	Rate
<13	26,186,557	397	1.5	25,052,130	396	1.6	51,238,687	795	1.6
13-15	6,569,575	293	4.5	6,253,573	145	2.3	12,823,148	440	3.4
16-19	9,227,470	1,813	19.6	8,784,660	640	7.3	18,012,130	2,459	13.7
20-24	11,451,815	3,002	26.2	10,970,121	956	8.7	22,421,936	3,963	17.7
25-29	11,390,736	2,541	22.3	11,069,140	843	7.6	22,459,876	3,386	15.1
30-34	12,127,715	2,664	22.0	11,866,273	866	7.3	23,993,988	3,535	14.7
35-39	11,702,213	2,438	20.8	11,467,859	814	7.1	23,170,072	3,258	14.1
40-44	11,253,735	2,224	19.8	11,115,417	768	6.9	22,369,152	2,994	13.4
45-49	10,129,805	1,782	17.6	10,164,244	624	6.1	20,294,049	2,408	11.9
50-54	10,192,640	1,914	18.8	10,293,667	640	6.2	20,486,307	2,555	12.5
55-59	10,051,985	1,983	19.7	10,307,943	619	6.0	20,359,928	2,609	12.8
60-64	10,363,023	1,988	19.2	10,938,774	646	5.9	21,301,797	2,637	12.4
65-69	9,297,585	1,692	18.2	10,191,886	646	6.3	19,489,471	2,340	12.0
70-74	7,402,084	1,170	15.8	8,553,407	616	7.2	15,955,491	1,788	11.2
75-79	5,435,868	1,022	18.8	6,557,458	583	8.9	11,993,326	1,608	13.4
80-84	3,141,063	694	22.1	4,165,424	475	11.4	7,306,487	1,169	16.0
85+	2,414,013	659	27.3	4,021,130	452	11.2	6,435,143	1,114	17.3
Total*	168,337,882	28,385	16.9	171,773,106	10,764	6.3	340,110,988	39,254	11.5
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

From 1975 to 2024, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people declined by 80% for people 12 and younger (from 7.9 to 1.6), 68% for teenagers (from 29.4 to 9.4), 47% for people ages 20-34 (from 29.6 to 15.8), 27% for people ages 35-69 (from 17.5 to 12.7), and 47% for people 70 and older (from 25.9 to 13.6).

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age group, 1975-2024
Year	<13 years			13-19 years			20-34 years			35-69 years			70+ years
Year	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate
1975	45,851,304	3,643	7.9	29,795,023	8,748	29.4	50,998,098	15,074	29.6	74,764,829	13,080	17.5	14,563,945	3,775	25.9
1976	45,000,704	3,424	7.6	29,909,414	9,356	31.3	52,745,005	15,517	29.4	75,419,921	13,137	17.4	14,960,120	3,896	26.0
1977	44,337,332	3,347	7.5	29,800,313	9,633	32.3	54,497,448	17,287	31.7	76,203,083	13,460	17.7	15,401,249	3,859	25.1
1978	43,907,467	3,367	7.7	29,543,252	9,940	33.6	55,909,063	18,886	33.8	77,348,222	14,020	18.1	15,876,541	3,824	24.1
1979	43,778,959	3,171	7.2	29,077,607	9,920	34.1	57,499,197	19,675	34.2	78,311,107	14,232	18.2	16,388,617	3,772	23.0
1980	43,914,342	3,048	6.9	28,486,487	9,524	33.4	58,814,391	20,110	34.2	79,111,522	14,219	18.0	16,897,977	3,861	22.8
1981	44,049,940	2,733	6.2	27,743,947	8,315	30.0	60,563,416	19,887	32.8	79,785,591	13,950	17.5	17,322,714	3,871	22.3
1982	44,131,596	2,573	5.8	27,160,586	7,323	27.0	61,099,524	17,465	28.6	81,488,902	12,685	15.6	17,783,888	3,655	20.6
1983	44,119,297	2,518	5.7	26,737,497	6,805	25.5	61,840,154	16,853	27.3	82,861,204	12,488	15.1	18,233,751	3,734	20.5
1984	43,978,044	2,422	5.5	26,435,885	6,952	26.3	62,491,255	17,579	28.1	84,256,661	13,006	15.4	18,662,938	4,052	21.7
1985	44,260,136	2,469	5.6	26,001,247	6,737	25.9	62,961,154	17,031	27.1	85,628,410	13,126	15.3	19,072,785	4,206	22.1
1986	44,755,454	2,537	5.7	25,592,481	7,466	29.2	63,115,889	18,132	28.7	87,205,537	13,263	15.2	19,463,480	4,445	22.8
1987	45,348,247	2,654	5.9	25,209,615	7,293	28.9	63,032,298	17,676	28.0	88,808,046	14,074	15.8	19,890,817	4,555	22.9
1988	45,942,966	2,701	5.9	25,004,445	7,242	29.0	62,784,739	17,613	28.1	90,464,406	14,458	16.0	20,302,280	4,925	24.3
1989	46,690,604	2,658	5.7	24,664,300	6,688	27.1	62,494,056	16,512	26.4	92,250,762	14,651	15.9	20,719,397	4,943	23.9
1990	47,472,527	2,332	4.9	24,404,795	6,364	26.1	62,282,683	16,366	26.3	94,140,108	14,568	15.5	21,164,283	4,844	22.9
1991	48,240,747	2,257	4.7	24,066,587	5,760	23.9	62,025,750	14,949	24.1	96,068,111	13,587	14.1	21,751,897	4,843	22.3
1992	48,903,668	2,165	4.4	24,163,175	5,215	21.6	61,427,100	13,445	21.9	98,214,539	13,414	13.7	22,321,217	4,901	22.0
1993	49,335,864	2,164	4.4	24,664,091	5,421	22.0	60,582,332	13,456	22.2	100,399,648	13,748	13.7	22,800,673	5,221	22.9
1994	49,692,462	2,301	4.6	25,219,838	5,632	22.3	59,629,351	13,020	21.8	102,541,525	14,251	13.9	23,243,845	5,425	23.3
1995	49,920,484	2,201	4.4	25,764,300	5,675	22.0	58,712,407	13,330	22.7	104,712,328	15,018	14.3	23,693,757	5,509	23.3
1996	50,085,188	2,186	4.4	26,357,198	5,819	22.1	57,753,910	12,869	22.3	106,975,953	15,496	14.5	24,056,323	5,578	23.2
1997	50,364,983	2,108	4.2	26,730,812	5,730	21.4	57,046,569	12,334	21.6	109,232,426	15,860	14.5	24,408,817	5,872	24.1
1998	50,527,476	2,032	4.0	27,174,728	5,610	20.6	56,421,053	11,785	20.9	111,331,195	16,185	14.5	24,793,551	5,798	23.4
1999	50,667,139	1,997	3.9	27,518,156	5,752	20.9	55,961,401	11,840	21.2	113,451,312	16,384	14.4	25,092,805	5,657	22.5
2000	52,219,423	1,888	3.6	28,326,412	5,685	20.1	58,971,709	12,174	20.6	117,114,739	16,700	14.3	25,559,879	5,379	21.0
2001	52,341,395	1,751	3.3	28,437,711	5,594	19.7	59,465,066	12,375	20.8	119,060,436	16,934	14.2	25,797,467	5,425	21.0
2002	52,332,306	1,617	3.1	28,644,313	5,954	20.8	60,046,068	12,609	21.0	120,913,207	17,374	14.4	26,005,326	5,332	20.5
2003	52,187,602	1,643	3.1	29,028,500	5,718	19.7	60,599,350	12,365	20.4	122,772,578	17,705	14.4	26,200,946	5,363	20.5
2004	52,151,406	1,645	3.2	29,400,392	5,645	19.2	61,003,240	12,620	20.7	124,762,848	17,707	14.2	26,337,518	5,106	19.4
2005	52,149,395	1,529	2.9	29,589,854	5,300	17.9	61,180,772	13,023	21.3	126,831,714	18,491	14.6	26,658,669	5,047	18.9
2006	52,306,908	1,430	2.7	29,772,198	5,159	17.3	61,527,219	13,142	21.4	128,907,361	18,233	14.1	26,884,798	4,636	17.2
2007	52,585,809	1,269	2.4	29,775,943	4,981	16.7	61,623,322	12,531	20.3	130,500,566	17,725	13.6	27,135,517	4,631	17.1
2008	52,929,779	1,047	2.0	29,710,307	4,070	13.7	61,990,546	11,406	18.4	131,908,058	16,538	12.5	27,521,034	4,291	15.6
2009	53,753,412	1,066	2.0	29,667,279	3,480	11.7	63,105,881	9,940	15.8	132,693,708	15,340	11.6	27,786,270	3,995	14.4
2010	52,937,278	962	1.8	30,247,014	3,121	10.3	62,914,600	9,684	15.4	135,270,594	15,015	11.1	27,957,657	4,171	14.9
2011	52,921,253	908	1.7	29,917,216	3,033	10.1	63,965,818	9,633	15.1	136,306,915	14,782	10.8	28,472,279	4,071	14.3
2012	52,855,061	958	1.8	29,646,417	2,837	9.6	64,900,433	10,210	15.7	137,323,658	15,614	11.4	29,152,093	4,113	14.1
2013	52,719,631	940	1.8	29,551,607	2,543	8.6	65,681,251	9,908	15.1	138,067,096	15,298	11.1	30,040,362	4,150	13.8
2014	52,676,380	875	1.7	29,462,818	2,630	8.9	66,367,803	9,879	14.9	139,015,319	15,073	10.8	30,864,009	4,206	13.6
2015	52,764,080	946	1.8	29,356,330	2,747	9.4	66,762,737	10,608	15.9	140,231,069	16,677	11.9	31,624,778	4,427	14.0
2016	52,811,215	1,033	2.0	29,350,222	2,837	9.7	67,142,780	11,368	16.9	141,361,052	17,601	12.5	32,406,486	4,848	15.0
2017	52,726,410	949	1.8	29,387,954	2,762	9.4	67,381,469	10,932	16.2	141,662,252	17,670	12.5	33,964,043	5,037	14.8
2018	52,553,599	890	1.7	29,402,794	2,496	8.5	67,504,170	10,761	15.9	142,087,330	17,585	12.4	35,290,306	5,026	14.2
2019	52,266,740	855	1.6	29,412,828	2,394	8.1	67,647,658	10,259	15.2	142,410,359	17,558	12.3	36,592,368	5,232	14.3
2020	51,887,147	850	1.6	29,367,208	2,767	9.4	67,664,401	11,906	17.6	142,779,669	18,724	13.1	37,785,698	4,593	12.2
2021	51,691,096	933	1.8	30,440,240	3,090	10.2	67,019,102	12,828	19.1	145,289,674	20,917	14.4	37,453,633	5,245	14.0
2022	50,793,470	859	1.7	30,279,709	2,896	9.6	68,207,079	12,282	18.0	144,843,869	20,832	14.4	39,163,430	5,658	14.4
2023	50,971,194	785	1.5	30,602,767	3,056	10.0	67,353,688	11,759	17.5	145,889,613	19,751	13.5	40,097,633	5,521	13.8
2024	51,238,687	795	1.6	30,835,278	2,899	9.4	68,875,800	10,884	15.8	147,470,776	18,801	12.7	41,690,447	5,679	13.6

Seat belt use

According to a national daytime observational survey of motorists, seat belt use among front seat occupants was 91.2% in 2024 (NHTSA, 2025). Unrestrained vehicle occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured in a crash, so belt use is much lower among fatally injured occupants. Among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants age 13 and older in 2024, 46% of drivers and 46% of passengers were belted.

Seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older by seating position, 1995-2024
Year	Driver						Passenger
	Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown		Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1995	6,974	32	12,739	59	1,779	8	2,643	29	5,602	62	791	9
1996	7,380	34	12,371	57	1,928	9	2,757	30	5,720	62	809	9
1997	7,570	35	12,347	57	1,850	8	2,873	31	5,517	60	813	9
1998	7,811	36	12,098	56	1,794	8	2,818	32	5,189	59	730	8
1999	7,849	36	12,306	56	1,796	8	2,754	32	5,281	60	703	8
2000	8,207	38	11,900	54	1,761	8	2,961	33	5,243	59	749	8
2001	8,529	39	11,682	53	1,706	8	2,848	32	5,202	59	737	8
2002	8,793	39	12,094	54	1,711	8	3,159	35	5,120	57	691	8
2003	9,259	42	11,317	51	1,673	8	3,134	36	4,877	56	771	9
2004	9,482	43	11,067	50	1,459	7	3,143	37	4,790	56	627	7
2005	9,337	42	11,170	51	1,495	7	3,130	38	4,570	55	637	8
2006	9,168	42	10,899	50	1,537	7	2,969	38	4,262	54	681	9
2007	8,900	43	10,042	49	1,531	7	2,896	38	3,983	53	677	9
2008	7,770	43	9,131	50	1,295	7	2,531	39	3,476	54	472	7
2009	7,407	44	8,176	49	1,201	7	2,362	41	3,018	52	449	8
2010	7,292	46	7,465	47	1,201	8	2,288	41	2,860	51	449	8
2011	7,018	45	7,326	47	1,141	7	2,051	40	2,632	52	424	8
2012	7,216	46	7,473	47	1,143	7	2,151	41	2,639	50	445	9
2013	7,307	47	6,946	45	1,238	8	2,157	43	2,416	48	450	9
2014	7,395	48	6,872	45	1,155	7	2,188	44	2,299	46	464	9
2015	8,008	48	7,260	44	1,283	8	2,346	44	2,451	46	544	10
2016	8,455	48	7,658	44	1,391	8	2,444	45	2,534	46	500	9
2017	8,631	49	7,555	43	1,434	8	2,440	46	2,301	44	543	10
2018	8,394	49	7,341	43	1,383	8	2,267	45	2,283	45	485	10
2019	8,304	50	7,038	42	1,388	8	2,227	45	2,236	45	497	10
2020	8,044	44	8,290	46	1,778	10	2,123	42	2,374	47	589	12
2021	9,064	45	9,109	45	1,952	10	2,402	44	2,478	45	627	11
2022	8,772	45	8,649	45	1,966	10	2,282	42	2,482	46	650	12
2023	8,275	46	7,975	44	1,859	10	2,237	42	2,335	44	716	14
2024	7,870	46	7,535	44	1,839	11	2,209	46	2,023	42	608	13

In 2024, the highest number (13,228) of fatally injured occupants were involved in frontal impacts, and among these individuals, less than half (45%) were belted. More than half of fatally injured occupants in side and rear crashes were belted. In other crashes, mostly involving rollovers, 26% of fatally injured occupants were belted.

Seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older by crash type, 2024
Initial contact point	Restraint used
	Belted		Total*
	Number	%	Number	%
Front	5,922	45	13,228	100
Side	2,712	55	4,899	100
Rear	612	55	1,116	100
Other (mostly rollover)	452	26	1,714	100
Total*	10,080	46	22,115	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Speeding

In 2024, speeding was a factor in 29% of motor vehicle crash deaths. Speeding has been a factor in more than a quarter of crash deaths over the past decade. Speeding crashes include those in which the driver was issued a traffic citation for speeding or in which driver-related factors included driving too fast for conditions, racing or exceeding the posted speed limit.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor, 2015-2024
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number
2015	9,723	27	25,762	73	35,485
2016	10,291	27	27,515	73	37,806
2017	9,947	27	27,526	73	37,473
2018	9,579	26	27,256	74	36,835
2019	9,592	26	26,763	74	36,355
2020	11,428	29	27,579	71	39,007
2021	12,498	29	30,732	71	43,230
2022	12,157	28	30,564	72	42,721
2023	11,913	29	29,112	71	41,025
2024	11,288	29	27,966	71	39,254

In 2024, the percentage of crash deaths involving speeding was higher on minor roads (33%) than on interstates and freeways (29%) or on other major roads (27%).

Crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor by road type, 2024
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number
Interstates and freeways	1,891	29	4,556	71	6,447
Other major roads	5,543	27	15,350	73	20,893
Minor roads	3,723	33	7,701	67	11,424
All road types*	11,288	29	27,966	71	39,254
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Of the 11,288 speeding-related fatalities that occurred in 2024, about half (55%) occurred on roads with speed limits lower than 55 mph.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor by speed limit, 2024
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
≤35 mph	2,833	25	5,548	20	8,381	21
40-50 mph	3,367	30	7,937	28	11,304	29
55+ mph	4,740	42	13,283	47	18,023	46
Total*	11,288	100	27,966	100	39,254	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Distraction

A total of 3,026 drivers in fatal crashes that occurred in 2024 were categorized as distracted. The most common distraction cited in these crash reports was “generally distracted or lost in thought (daydreaming)” at 64% of distracted drivers. These figures are likely underestimates, given that it is often impossible to verify that a distraction was present at the time of a crash.

Distracted drivers in fatal crashes during 2024, by distraction type
Distraction type	Number	%
Generally distracted or "lost in thought" (daydreaming)	1,931	64
Cellphone use (talking, listening, dialing, texting)	406	13
Outside person, object or event (e.g., rubbernecking)	224	7
Other distraction, not specified	64	2
Other occupants (talking with or looking at other people in car)	107	4
Using or reaching for device brought into vehicle, such as navigational device or headphones	85	3
Eating or drinking	41	1
Adjusting audio or climate controls	30	<1
Using other device/controls integral to vehicle, such as rearview mirror or seat adjustment or integrated navigation system	131	4
Moving object in vehicle, such as pet or insect	15	<1
Smoking-related (includes smoking, lighting up, putting ashes in ashtray)	3	<1
All distracted drivers	3,026	100
Some drivers were coded as engaged in multiple distractions, so the sum of the rows exceeds the total number of distracted drivers.

When they died

In 2024, February had the fewest crash deaths and October had the most.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by month, 2024
Month	Deaths	%
January	2,729	7
February	2,710	7
March	3,135	8
April	3,185	8
May	3,461	9
June	3,461	9
July	3,366	9
August	3,611	9
September	3,528	9
October	3,620	9
November	3,292	8
December	3,156	8
Total	39,254	100

In 2024, about half (48%) of crash deaths occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by day of week, 2024
Day of week	Deaths	%
Sunday	6,116	16
Monday	5,163	13
Tuesday	4,875	12
Wednesday	5,097	13
Thursday	5,198	13
Friday	6,025	15
Saturday	6,780	17
Total	39,254	100

In 2024, about one-third (32%) of crash deaths occurred between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by time of day, 2024
Time of day	Deaths	%
Midnight - 3 a.m.	4,660	12
3 a.m. - 6 a.m.	3,403	9
6 a.m. - 9 a.m.	3,618	9
9 a.m. - noon	3,537	9
Noon - 3 p.m.	4,906	12
3 p.m. - 6 p.m.	5,956	15
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.	6,777	17
9 p.m. - midnight	6,131	16
Total*	39,254	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Independence Day (July 4) typically is one of the days of the year with the most motor vehicle crash deaths (Weast, 2018).

Days of year with most motor vehicle crash deaths, 2020-2024
Date	Total deaths over five years	Yearly average
July 4	761	152
October 29	712	142
June 18	711	142
October 30	710	142
January 1	708	142