Car Crash Statistics 2026

For the most recent year of available federal data, 2023, there were 40,901 car deaths in the U.S., resulting from 37,654 fatal crashes.¹ Over the past five years of available data, the average number of car deaths was 40,443 annually. According to the most recent projections from the NHTSA, 39,345 people are estimated to have died in car crashes in 2024.²

By Year

From 1960 to 1990, the number of traffic fatalities increased by 23 percent. Since 1990, annual traffic fatalities have remained relatively constant, with some years seeing slight decreases and others slight increases. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were 40,901 traffic fatalities in the U.S., a 4 percent decrease from 2022.

In 2023, the NHTSA estimated that there were around 6.1 million non-fatal motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 1.7 million resulted in injuries, and around 4.4 million were property damage only. Close to 2.5 million people were injured in traffic accidents that year. Ninety-one percent of the injured people were passenger vehicle occupants, 3 percent were motorcyclists, and 6 percent were nonoccupants, such as pedestrians.⁵

Looking at all of the motor vehicle crashes that occurred in 2023, 71.7 percent caused property damage only, 27.7 percent were injury only, and 0.6 percent involved fatalities.

Alcohol

It’s a sad but true fact that every day in the U.S., approximately 34 people die from drunk driving accidents. In 2023, the total number was 12,429 people, an 8 percent decrease from 2022.

Across the U.S., about one-third of traffic deaths involve drunk driving, making it one of the most common causes of traffic fatalities.

Below are the 10 states with the highest percentages of alcohol-related traffic fatalities:

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is another common yet dangerous practice in the U.S., and it was the cause of 8 percent of fatal crashes in 2023.⁶ The state with the highest rate of distracted-driving–related fatalities was New Mexico, followed by Louisiana and Kansas.⁷

Speeding

While speeding is quite common, it can be very dangerous. In 2023, there were 11,775 deaths due to speeding, making up 29 percent of all traffic fatalities.

Speeding is even more dangerous in bad weather. Forty-five percent of speeding-related fatal crashes involved moving or standing water; 41 percent involved ice or frost; 36 percent involved mud, dirt, or gravel; and 34 percent involved snow and slush. It’s wise to drive extra carefully in the wintertime, especially during holidays.

Additionally, statistics show that certain demographic groups are more likely to speed than others, which is one reason young men pay more for car insurance. For example, among male drivers aged 21 to 24 who were involved in a fatal crash, 33 percent were speeding at the time of the crash, compared to only 18 percent of female drivers in the same age group.

As drivers age, they are less likely to be speeding at the time of a fatal crash. The age group with the lowest rates was senior drivers 75 and older, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.⁸

Seat belts are extremely effective in preventing both injuries and deaths in crashes. In the front seat, they are estimated to reduce passenger car deaths by 45 percent and injuries by 50 percent. That means — statistically speaking — that out of the 10,484 passengers who were not wearing their seat belts when they died in car crashes in 2023, around 5,242 could have lived had they used these restraints.

From 1975 to 2017, seat belts saved an estimated 374,276 lives, an average of 8,911 a year.⁹ In 2023, 86 percent of the people who survived passenger vehicle crashes were wearing seat belts; only 14 percent were not.¹⁰ In other words, more than eight in 10 survivors of car crashes were wearing seat belts.

Road Users

Fifty-eight percent of people who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2023 were in cars, pickups, or SUVs. Only 18 percent were pedestrians, 15 percent rode motorcycles, and the rest, at 2 and 3 percent, were in large trucks or on bicycles, respectively.¹⁷

Rural vs. Urban

Fifty-nine percent of these motor vehicle crash deaths occurred in urban areas, while 41 percent occurred in rural areas.

Teens

Teen drivers are a vulnerable driving group due to their lack of experience. In 2023, 3,048 teens aged 13 to 19 died in car crashes; the large majority (about two-thirds) were male, while the rest were female.¹⁸ In fact, unintentional injuries from accidents, which include car accidents, were the leading cause of death for teens 15 to 19 the same year.¹⁹

When you combine teen driving with speeding, death rates rise. From 2015 to 2019, 43 percent of teen-driving fatalities involved speeding, according to the Governors Highway Safety Administration.²⁰

Rates were highest in Hawaii, where 83 percent of teen fatalities involved speeding, an amount nearly double the national average.

Seniors

Contrary to stereotypes, senior drivers are safer on the road than most other groups. According to 2023 NHTSA data, those 55 and older have lower rates of fatal car accidents than all other age groups.²¹

There is a direct correlation between age and involvement in traffic crashes. The older you are, the less likely you are to be involved in a crash, with the highest crash rates among those ages 15 to 20.

Commercial Drivers

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation incidents, which include car accidents, were the leading cause of work-related deaths in the U.S. in 2023.²² From 2011 to 2023, more than 22,000 workers in the U.S. died in motor vehicle crashes. In 2023, car accidents were the first or second leading cause of death in every major industry group.

Aside from causing property damage, injuries, and deaths, car crashes also result in an increase in the cost of car insurance. The cost of car insurance after accidents will depend on the provider, but we found that the average increase is 46 percent.

Even if the crash wasn’t your fault, your insurance costs could still rise, depending on your provider. However, the increase will be even higher if you caused the car accident.

Although these crash rates may seem scary, many accidents are preventable if you drive sober, focused, and under the speed limit. Of course, you can’t control what other drivers do, but making sure you’re driving as safely as possible, practicing defensive driving, and always wearing a seat belt will help you stay safe on the road. Overall trends are positive — more people are wearing seat belts year over year, and fewer people are being killed in motor vehicle accidents on average.

To learn more, read our car insurance research on the dangers of distracted driving, auto theft, and hit-and-runs. While some incidents aren’t preventable, seat belts are one easy way to greatly increase your overall safety while driving.

We used third-party data to compile this report. The third parties included:

• Bureau of Transportation Statistics
• GWR
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• National Safety Council
• Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics