How Many People Die in Car Accidents?

Speed limits are flouted, school zones are ignored, child-safety seats are misused, people drive under the influence... the list goes on and on. Hundreds of thousands of people die needlessly in a traffic collision each year.

Statistics say 90% of these deaths result from driver negligence or some other kind of human error - everything from using a cell phone while driving to having a loose pet in the car.

Reading about car accidents and roadside fatalities is a morbid exercise, but it’s also an eye-opener. If more drivers understood the risks, maybe the road would be a bit safer for all of us.

Statistics on Car Accident Deaths for 2026 - Editor’s Choice

• TThere were 17,140 fatalities on US roads in the first half of 2025.
• WWith average full coverage premiums of $3,852, Florida has overtaken Michigan as the most expensive state for auto insurance.
• Texas is the #1 state for motor vehicle fatalities.
• Teens account 8% of all car accident deaths.
• Drivers between the ages of 25 and 34 are most likely to be involved in a fatal crash.

1.19 million people die in road crashes every year.

(World Health Organization)

Automobile accidents are one of the top 10 causes of death across the globe. Many of these fatalities involve vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. This is especially true in Southeast Asia.

There were 37,810 road accident fatalities in the US in 2025.

(Reuters; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

About 100 people die on America’s roads every day. This number has decreased by 12% compared to the previous year, even as the traffic and number of vehicles on the roads have increased.

Car occupants make up 44% of all traffic accident deaths.

(World Health Organization)

Worldwide, drivers and passengers account for a significant portion of fatalities, though in urban areas, vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists represent up to 70% of total road deaths.

The US suffers an unusually high rate of crash deaths compared to other high-income countries.

(Association for Safe International Road Travel)

The United States has the unique and unflattering distinction of being at the top of road crash deaths among high-income countries and regions like Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. The American rate is about 50% higher than in those countries.

In the US, the fatality rate is 1.10 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

(Reuters)

One way to gauge the fatality rate in road accidents is to compare fatalities against total miles traveled. This rate has dropped by 6.4% compared to the same period in 2024.

In 2024, drivers and passengers involved in car crashes that resulted in fatalities made up the bulk of total road fatalities

(World Health Organization)

For every passenger killed in a car accident, there are significantly more dead drivers.

American vehicle fatalities dropped again in 2025.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

The number of fatalities decreased by 12% in 2025 compared to 2024, marking a significant downward trend despite an increase in overall miles driven.

The US traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

(Association for Safe International Road Travel)

A common way of measuring certain statistics is “per 100,000 people.” According to statistics, 12.4 out of 100,000 Americans die in car accidents each year.

Car Accidents by State

National statistics give you large, scary numbers to deal with. But state-by-state numbers may be more useful in coming up with measures for reducing fatalities within particular regions.

The second-most-populated state ranks first in motor vehicle fatalities.

(Insurance Information Institute)

Texas continues to see high numbers of road fatalities. While California follows closely, Texas historically records the highest total number of motor vehicle deaths annually.

New York saw a 18% decrease in motor vehicle deaths in 2025.

(Insurance Information Institute)

New York continues to have fewer motor vehicle deaths among the most populous states, with a significant decline recorded in the most recent preliminary data.

Two of the three American cities with the most traffic fatalities are in Texas.

(USA Today)

Odessa and Midland, Texas, remain among the deadliest cities for drivers per capita. These numbers are vital for local authorities when writing traffic laws and educating drivers about road safety.

Massachusetts and New York have the fewest traffic fatalities per capita while Mississippi has historically had the most.

(PersonalInjurySanDiego.org)

While Mississippi saw a 19% decrease in 2025, it remains a high-risk state. Massachusetts and New York consistently rank as some of the safest states for drivers.

Arkansas ranks second-highest for drivers not wearing seatbelts and seventh in traffic fatalities per capita.

(PersonalInjurySanDiego.org)

Arkansas continues to struggle with seatbelt compliance, with only about 78% of drivers wearing them, correlating with its high ranking in fatalities per 100,000.

Gender And Age

Driver profiling offers important insights. Curiously, the US figures do not turn out as stereotypes suggest.

78% of all teenage motor vehicle fatalities are in passenger vehicles.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Contrary to trends in other age groups, relatively few teen cyclists and pedestrians die in road accidents.

Teens made up 8% of all car accident deaths in 2018.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Drivers between the ages of 13 and 19 made up 8% of all car accident deaths in 2018.

Drivers between the ages of 25 and 34 are involved in the most fatal crashes.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

In a typical year, over 10,000 drivers in this age bracket are involved in fatal crashes, the highest number for any age group. However, the fatality rate per 100,000 is often highest for the 21-24 group.

Female drivers make up about one-third of the total fatal crashes.

(Statista)

Female drivers in the US clearly fare better than their male counterparts.

There is little difference between male and female passenger fatalities in car accidents.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

While there is a huge discrepancy between the number of male and female drivers who get killed in traffic collisions, there is very little difference in the death rate between male and female passengers.

Vehicle Safety Data

Safety features of a vehicle are important, but it’s even more important to pick up some safe driving habits.

In 2017, about 2,756 American lives were saved because of airbags.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

From 1987 to 2017, about 54,457 lives have been saved by frontal airbags. 2,756 drivers and front-seat passengers escaped death because the frontal airbags deployed on time.

Seatbelts saved about 14,955 lives in a single year.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

The combination of seatbelts and airbags might increase your chances of making it out alive after a crash, but data suggests that seatbelts are the best front line of defense.

The national estimate for seatbelt use was 91.2% in 2024.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

While high, this remains below the goal of 100%. States like Hawaii, Georgia, and California often see rates exceeding 95%.

Electronic stability control saved about 7,000 lives between 2011 and 2015.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

ESC helps a vehicle manage traction and automatically compensates when the tires lose grip. This comes in handy in areas where vehicles tend to lose traction due to snow.

So far, there have been five fatalities involving self-driving cars.

(Wikipedia)

The five fatalities that are attributed to driverless cars were not actually caused by purely autonomous vehicles, but by “Level 2” vehicles that rely on human drivers to stay aware of conditions and take control when needed. Four of these five incidents resulted in the driver's death.

Small cars and muscle cars are by far some of the deadliest vehicles on the road in terms of driver death rate.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Smaller vehicles have high driver death rates because they offer less protection in collisions with larger vehicles.

Mid-size and large SUVs have some of the lowest rates of driver deaths.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Of the safest vehicles with the lowest rates of driver death, the majority are luxury SUVs and minivans.