Official NHTSA Data
US Road Deaths by Year
Every year of official US road fatality data since 2000, from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) — the government census of every fatal crash in America. The story: a massive recession-era drop, a decade of backsliding, and a pandemic spike that erased 15 years of progress.
40,990
Deaths in 2023
latest published FARS year
112
Deaths Per Day
US average, 2023
43,510
Worst Year (2005)
peak of the modern record
32,479
Best Year (2011)
post-recession low
| Year | Road Deaths | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 40,990 | -3.6% | |
| 2022 | 42,514 | -1% | |
| 2021 | 42,939 | +10.6% | |
| 2020 | 38,824 | +7.6% | |
| 2019 | 36,096 | -2% | |
| 2018 | 36,835 | -1.7% | |
| 2017 | 37,473 | -0.9% | |
| 2016 | 37,806 | +6.5% | |
| 2015 | 35,484 | +8.4% | |
| 2014 | 32,744 | -0.5% | |
| 2013 | 32,894 | -2.6% | |
| 2012 | 33,782 | +4% | |
| 2011 | 32,479 | -1.6% | |
| 2010 | 32,999 | -2.6% | |
| 2009 | 33,883 | -9.5% | |
| 2008 | 37,423 | -9.3% | |
| 2007 | 41,259 | -3.4% | |
| 2006 | 42,708 | -1.8% | |
| 2005 | 43,510 | +1.6% | |
| 2004 | 42,836 | -0.1% | |
| 2003 | 42,884 | -0.3% | |
| 2002 | 43,005 | +1.9% | |
| 2001 | 42,196 | +0.6% | |
| 2000 | 41,945 | — |
Change = vs previous calendar year. Source: NHTSA FARS annual reports (public domain).
Live Data
City-Level Crash Maps
See police-reported crashes on live maps from official open data: New York City and Chicago.
Worldwide
Compare Globally
The US rate (12.8 per 100k) is triple the UK's. See the full world table and live US tracking.
Questions
FAQ
How many people die in car accidents in the US per year?
Around 41,000 people in recent years: NHTSA reports 40,990 deaths for 2023, down from 42,939 in 2021 (the pandemic-era peak) and 42,514 in 2022. That is roughly 112 deaths every day in the United States.
What year had the most US road deaths?
In this table, 2005 was the worst year with 43,510 deaths. The safest year was 2011 with 32,479 — deaths then rose again through the 2010s and spiked sharply during the pandemic years of 2020–2021 despite less traffic.
Why did US road deaths spike in 2020–2021?
With emptier pandemic roads, average speeds rose and risky behaviour (speeding, impaired driving, not wearing seat belts) increased sharply. NHTSA recorded a 7.5% jump in 2020 and another 10.6% in 2021 — the largest percentage increase in the modern record.
Where does this data come from?
From NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) — the official US government census of every fatal traffic crash, published annually. FARS is public-domain federal data.