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How many people die in car accidents every year?
Car accident deaths per day in the U.S. are steadily increasing, however there are things you can do to keep yourself safe behind the wheel. For example, wearing your seatbelt and following traffic laws.
UPDATED: Apr 2, 2022Fact Checked
How many car deaths are in the U.S. each year?
Emergency care capabilities
Types of vehicles driven
Rates of people licensed
How many people die in car accidents worldwide?
Are car accident fatalities rising?
What can you do to prevent car accident fatalities?
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More than 38,000 Americans died in traffic accidents in 2020, with even more estimated for 2021
Worldwide, more than a million people die every year due to car accidents
The leading causes of death in traffic accidents are distracted driving, speeding, and driving under the influence
One of life's greatest tragedies is an unexpected death. Traffic fatalities feel like they come out of nowhere, especially since people spend so much time on the road. When a routine trip turns tragic, it can take a long time for family and friends to recover.
Unfortunately, America seems to be in a traffic fatality epidemic, with rates consistently rising all over the country. However, organizations from non-profits to car insurance companies are trying to tackle this heartbreaking problem. There are also things you can do to help prevent further deaths.
When you look at how many people die in car accidents every year, you'll probably want to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones. Read on to learn more about America's problem with car accident deaths and what you can do to protect yourself.
To get an idea of how many people lose their lives in traffic incidents in the U.S., you need to look at accidents by state. Areas with denser populations are more likely to have deadly accidents involving people hitting each other, while rural areas might suffer from weather or animal contact.
Several factors can lead to fatal accidents, some of which are included below.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluates the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) data to give insights into fatal accidents. Below, you can learn more about how many fatal accidents occur in your state and the most common reasons why they happen.
Most common killed by road user type
Rural or urban
Alabama 4.9 million 930 Car Rural
Alaska 730,000 67 Pickup or SUV Rural
Arizona 7.2 million 981 Car Urban
Arkansas 3 million 505 Pickup or SUV Rural
California 39.5 million 3,606 Car Urban
Colorado 5.7 million 596 Pickup or SUV Urban
Connecticut 3.5 million 249 Car Urban
Delaware 970,000 132 Car Rural
Florida 21.4 million 3,183 Car Urban
Georgia 10.6 million 1,491 Car Urban
Hawaii 1.4 million 108 Pedestrian Urban
Idaho 1.7 million 224 Pickup or SUV Rural
Illinois 12.6 million 1,009 Car Urban
Indiana 6.7 million 809 Car Rural
Iowa 3.1 million 336 Pickup or SUV Rural
Kansas 2.9 million 411 Pickup or SUV Rural
Kentucky 4.4 million 732 Car Rural
Louisiana 4.6 million 727 Car Rural
Maine 1.3 million 157 Car Rural
Maryland 6 million 521 Car Urban
Massachusetts 6.8 million 334 Car Urban
Michigan 9.9 million 985 Car Urban
Minnesota 5.6 million 364 Car Rural
Mississippi 2.9 million 643 Car Rural
Missouri 6.1 million 880 Car Rural
Montana 1 million 184 Pickup or SUV Rural
Nebraska 1.9 million 248 Car Rural
Nevada 3 million 304 Car Urban
New Hampshire 1.3 million 101 Car Rural
New Jersey 8.8 million 559 Car Urban
New Mexico 2 million 424 Pickup or SUV Rural
New York 19.4 million 931 Pedestrian Urban
North Carolina 10.4 million 1,373 Car Rural
North Dakota 760,000 100 Pickup or SUV Rural
Ohio 11.6 million 1,153 Car Urban
Oklahoma 3.9 million 640 Pickup or SUV Rural
Oregon 4.2 million 489 Car Rural
Pennsylvania 12.8 million 1,059 Car Urban
Rhode Island 1 million 57 Car Urban
South Carolina 5.1 million 1,001 Car Rural
South Dakota 880,000 102 Car/Pickup or SUV Rural
Tennessee 6.8 million 1,135 Car Urban
Texas 28.9 million 3,615 Pickup or SUV Urban
Utah 3.2 million 248 Car Urban
Vermont 620,000 248 Car Rural
Virginia 8.5 million 831 Car Rural
Washington 7.6 million 519 Car Urban
West Virginia 1.7 million 260 Pickup or SUV Rural
Wisconsin 5.8 million 566 Car Rural
Wyoming 570,000 147 Pickup or SUV Rural
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From this limited set of data, you can see that each state has its own most common type of car accident.
When you add the information from all the states, more than 38,000 people die in the U.S. every year. That means that there are over 90 car accident deaths per day in the U.S.
Unintentional injuries are the third biggest killer in America and the number one killer of people under 44.
Car accidents are a problem for more than Americans. Fatal accidents claim more than a million lives every year around the world. How many car accidents per day in the world? Shockingly, worldwide deaths average over 3,700 every day.
Similar to how states have different statistics, some countries have more dangerous roads than others. Curious to see how many car accidents occur per year in the U.K.? Or perhaps you're traveling south of the border and want to know how much travel insurance for Mexico you'll need to protect yourself.
Whatever the reason, you can compare a random sample of countries below.
Last year reported
U.K. 2,026 2019
Mexico 15,062 2013
China 261,367 2016
Australia 1,131 2018
India 207,551 2016
Brazil 46,935 2013
Canada 2,118 2016
Egypt 10,466 2013
Japan 5,224 2016
Vietnam 22,419 2013
France 3,585 2019
Greece 699 2019
Ghana 6,789 2013
Philippines 10,379 2013
Jordan 750 2016
Ireland 194 2019
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As you can see, car accidents claim the lives of far too many drivers. If it feels like you've noticed that there are more car accidents in the news, you're probably right. Car accidents seem to be on the rise.
Midway through 2021, DOT released the number of people who died in accidents and how many more were projected to die. The number was frightening and showed an 18% increase from the previous year.
Two of the leading culprits were increased speeding and decreased seatbelt use since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people assumed the increase was due to more cars on the road. After all, American streets were empty for a significant chunk of 2020. It would make sense that 2021 would have more traffic deaths than 2020.
However, the numbers told a different story. If you compare car accident deaths in 2019 in the U.S., there was still an increase. In fact, 2020 had the most car accident deaths since 2007. You can compare the number of fatal car accidents by year below to get a better picture.
1975 44,525
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Experts believe that Americans are releasing more of their frustrations on the road. America has a lot to be stressed about. Like everyone else, Americans lived under the threat of COVID-19 for more than two years. Many Americans lost their jobs and inflation is soaring, just to name a few of the current issues.
The anxiety Americans grapple with expresses itself in more than car accident deaths. Along with rising traffic fatalities, homicides, drug overdoses, alcohol sales, and domestic violence also increased by staggering numbers.
While you can't control everything, there are steps you can take to help keep you, your passengers, and other drivers as safe as possible while you're on the road. Consider the following guidelines to reduce the likelihood of being injured or killed in an accident.
Keep a safe distance. While it's tempting to tailgate someone, especially when they're driving slowly, you should always give yourself enough space to stop in case the driver of the car in front of you slams on the brakes.
Never drink and drive. Drinking and driving is one of the leading causes of death in traffic accidents. Aside from the severe legal trouble you'll find yourself in, you risk killing someone or yourself when you drive under the influence.
Wear your seatbelt. Using your seatbelt is one of the safest choices you can make in a car. Seatbelts saved almost 15,000 lives in 2017, while 47% of deaths occurred when not wearing one.
Keep your eyes on the road. Distracted driving is the number one cause of traffic fatalities, especially among people aged 15 to 20. While there are many ways to get distracted while driving, the most important is to avoid using your phone.
Don't speed. Even if you're running late, speeding is never worth the risk. Speeding reduces your time to react and amplifies damage in car accidents.
Buy a car with safety features. If you're in the market for a new car, make sure to get one with good safety features. Today, some of the most popular include emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warnings.
Find insurance that rewards good drivers. Several insurance companies are concerned about how many people die in car accidents every day. They also want to lower the number of claims they have. Most major insurance companies will give you a claims-free discount for being a safe driver.
To reduce car accident deaths per year, worldwide efforts are being made to make the roads safer and drivers more aware of the risks. You can join these efforts by maintaining your focus behind the wheel and following traffic laws.
Even though the number of traffic fatalities is on the rise, there are plenty of things you can do to keep yourself safe. Make sure you follow traffic laws, stay focused, and always wear your seatbelt, and you'll be on your way to a safe trip every time.
If you're interested in seeing what insurance companies can do to keep you safe (and reward you for being a safe driver), you should compare companies. Not only can you learn more about safe driving programs, you can also find the best prices for the coverage you need.