Fatality Facts 2021Passenger vehicle occupants

Overview

The largest number of motor vehicle crash deaths occurs among occupants of passenger vehicles, including cars, minivans, pickups, SUVs, and cargo/large passenger vans. The likelihood of crash death varies markedly among these vehicle types according to size. Small/light vehicles have less structure to absorb crash energy, so crash forces on occupants will be higher. People in lighter vehicles are at a disadvantage in collisions with heavier vehicles. Puckett, S. M. & Kindelberger, J. C. (2016). Relationships between fatality risk, mass, and footprint in model year 2003-2010 passenger cars and LTVs – Preliminary report (Docket No. NHTSA-2016-0068). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Pickups and SUVs are more likely than cars to be in fatal single-vehicle crashes, especially rollovers. However, pickups and SUVs generally are heavier than cars, so occupant deaths in SUVs and pickups are less likely to occur in multiple-vehicle crashes.

Guide to car size groups

Curb weight	Shadow (overall length x width in square feet)
Curb weight	70-80	81-90	91-100	101-110	> 110
Note: Includes minivans.
2,001-2,500 lbs	Mini	Small	Small	Small	Midsize
2,501-3,000 lbs	Small	Small	Midsize	Midsize	Midsize
3,001-3,500 lbs	Small	Midsize	Midsize	Large	Large
3,501-4,000 lbs	Small	Midsize	Large	Large	Very large
> 4,000 lbs	Midsize	Midsize	Large	Very large	Very large

Guide to SUV size groups

	Curb weight
Small	3,001-3,750 lbs
Midsize	3,751-4,750 lbs
Large	4,751-5,750 lbs
Very large	> 5,750 lbs or shadow > 115 sq ft

Guide to pickup size groups

	Curb weight
Small	≤ 4,000 lbs
Large	> 4,000 lbs and carrying capacity = 1/2 ton
Very large	> 4,000 lbs and carrying capacity > 1/2 ton

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

Posted May 2023.

Trends

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths represented 62 percent of the 42,939 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2021.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths vs. total motor vehicle crash deaths, 1975-2021
Year	Passenger vehicle occupant deaths		Other deaths		All motor vehicle crash deaths
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1975	30,601	69	13,924	31	44,525	100
1976	31,724	70	13,799	30	45,523	100
1977	32,823	69	15,055	31	47,878	100
1978	34,923	69	15,408	31	50,331	100
1979	35,026	69	16,067	31	51,093	100
1980	34,996	68	16,095	32	51,091	100
1981	33,711	68	15,590	32	49,301	100
1982	29,656	67	14,289	33	43,945	100
1983	29,154	68	13,435	32	42,589	100
1984	30,094	68	14,163	32	44,257	100
1985	29,848	68	13,977	32	43,825	100
1986	32,224	70	13,863	30	46,087	100
1987	33,145	71	13,245	29	46,390	100
1988	34,105	72	12,982	28	47,087	100
1989	33,599	74	11,983	26	45,582	100
1990	32,711	73	11,888	27	44,599	100
1991	30,810	74	10,698	26	41,508	100
1992	29,457	75	9,793	25	39,250	100
1993	29,994	75	10,156	25	40,150	100
1994	30,820	76	9,896	24	40,716	100
1995	31,914	76	9,903	24	41,817	100
1996	32,353	77	9,712	23	42,065	100
1997	32,343	77	9,670	23	42,013	100
1998	31,781	77	9,720	23	41,501	100
1999	32,008	77	9,709	23	41,717	100
2000	32,109	77	9,836	23	41,945	100
2001	31,938	76	10,258	24	42,196	100
2002	32,724	76	10,281	24	43,005	100
2003	32,166	75	10,718	25	42,884	100
2004	31,750	74	11,086	26	42,836	100
2005	31,455	72	12,055	28	43,510	100
2006	30,628	72	12,080	28	42,708	100
2007	29,155	71	12,104	29	41,259	100
2008	25,547	68	11,876	32	37,423	100
2009	23,507	69	10,376	31	33,883	100
2010	22,351	68	10,648	32	32,999	100
2011	21,413	66	11,066	34	32,479	100
2012	21,906	65	11,876	35	33,782	100
2013	21,361	65	11,533	35	32,894	100
2014	21,131	65	11,613	35	32,744	100
2015	22,741	64	12,744	36	35,485	100
2016	23,957	63	13,849	37	37,806	100
2017	23,866	64	13,607	36	37,473	100
2018	23,046	63	13,789	37	36,835	100
2019	22,557	62	13,798	38	36,355	100
2020	24,135	62	14,872	38	39,007	100
2021	26,585	62	16,354	38	42,939	100

A total of 26,585 passenger vehicle occupants died in 2021, 13 percent fewer than in 1975. As pickups and SUVs have become more popular, the distribution of vehicle types in fatal crashes has changed. The number of car occupant deaths declined 43 percent since 1975, while pickup occupant deaths rose 32 percent and SUV occupant deaths increased more than 10 times over the same time period.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by vehicle type, 1975-2021

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by vehicle type, 1975-2021
Year	Car occupants		Pickup occupants		SUV occupants		All passenger vehicle occupants
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1975	25,715	84	3,674	12	455	1	30,601	100
1976	26,163	82	4,225	13	577	2	31,724	100
1977	26,698	81	4,512	14	729	2	32,823	100
1978	27,898	80	5,103	15	852	2	34,923	100
1979	27,518	79	5,423	15	945	3	35,026	100
1980	27,282	78	5,489	16	1,124	3	34,996	100
1981	26,406	78	5,236	16	1,021	3	33,711	100
1982	23,144	78	4,779	16	862	3	29,656	100
1983	22,801	78	4,660	16	920	3	29,154	100
1984	23,484	78	4,884	16	886	3	30,094	100
1985	23,084	77	4,892	16	1,024	3	29,848	100
1986	24,898	77	5,334	17	1,131	4	32,224	100
1987	25,160	76	5,795	17	1,269	4	33,145	100
1988	25,876	76	6,089	18	1,320	4	34,105	100
1989	25,334	75	6,016	18	1,373	4	33,599	100
1990	24,463	75	6,032	18	1,480	5	32,711	100
1991	22,794	74	5,858	19	1,521	5	30,810	100
1992	21,889	74	5,476	19	1,390	5	29,457	100
1993	22,166	74	5,611	19	1,552	5	29,994	100
1994	22,708	74	5,604	18	1,809	6	30,820	100
1995	23,219	73	5,973	19	2,006	6	31,914	100
1996	23,526	73	5,928	18	2,210	7	32,353	100
1997	23,243	72	5,922	18	2,416	7	32,343	100
1998	22,475	71	5,904	19	2,711	9	31,781	100
1999	22,209	69	6,095	19	3,019	9	32,008	100
2000	22,091	69	5,996	19	3,337	10	32,109	100
2001	21,688	68	6,121	19	3,521	11	31,938	100
2002	22,114	68	6,058	19	4,022	12	32,724	100
2003	21,125	66	5,833	18	4,463	14	32,166	100
2004	20,623	65	5,716	18	4,772	15	31,750	100
2005	19,956	63	6,040	19	4,847	15	31,455	100
2006	19,087	62	5,877	19	4,973	16	30,628	100
2007	17,805	61	5,758	20	4,975	17	29,155	100
2008	15,725	62	5,021	20	4,350	17	25,547	100
2009	14,124	60	4,719	20	4,254	18	23,507	100
2010	13,433	60	4,443	20	4,130	18	22,351	100
2011	12,738	59	4,245	20	4,095	19	21,413	100
2012	13,112	60	4,339	20	4,171	19	21,906	100
2013	12,731	60	4,215	20	4,098	19	21,361	100
2014	12,543	59	4,223	20	4,103	19	21,131	100
2015	13,320	59	4,490	20	4,577	20	22,741	100
2016	14,057	59	4,625	19	4,908	20	23,957	100
2017	13,902	58	4,434	19	5,186	22	23,866	100
2018	13,260	58	4,380	19	5,059	22	23,046	100
2019	12,535	56	4,284	19	5,365	24	22,557	100
2020	13,654	57	4,407	18	5,781	24	24,135	100
2021	14,744	55	4,855	18	6,636	25	26,585	100

A total of 20,261 passenger vehicle drivers died in 2021, 11 percent more than in 2020 and 5 percent more than in 1975. Fifty-five percent of passenger vehicle driver deaths in 2021 were car drivers, 20 percent were pickup drivers, and 24 percent were SUV drivers.

Passenger vehicle driver deaths by vehicle type, 1975-2021
Year	Car drivers		Pickup drivers		SUV drivers		All passenger vehicle drivers
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1975	16,141	83	2,481	13	270	1	19,349	100
1976	16,385	82	2,890	14	347	2	20,091	100
1977	16,903	81	3,076	15	434	2	20,941	100
1978	18,047	79	3,535	16	519	2	22,758	100
1979	18,064	78	3,734	16	596	3	23,109	100
1980	17,848	78	3,776	16	684	3	22,991	100
1981	17,553	78	3,687	16	623	3	22,506	100
1982	15,235	77	3,345	17	549	3	19,664	100
1983	15,058	78	3,219	17	575	3	19,338	100
1984	15,787	78	3,422	17	557	3	20,300	100
1985	15,437	77	3,446	17	645	3	20,058	100
1986	16,519	77	3,764	18	690	3	21,503	100
1987	16,751	76	4,082	18	765	3	22,157	100
1988	17,209	75	4,332	19	850	4	22,884	100
1989	16,811	75	4,365	19	877	4	22,554	100
1990	16,237	74	4,307	20	951	4	21,953	100
1991	14,974	73	4,256	21	943	5	20,551	100
1992	14,372	73	3,958	20	863	4	19,573	100
1993	14,577	73	4,105	20	977	5	20,036	100
1994	14,975	73	4,130	20	1,140	6	20,647	100
1995	15,386	72	4,431	21	1,248	6	21,457	100
1996	15,453	71	4,402	20	1,399	6	21,631	100
1997	15,375	71	4,376	20	1,537	7	21,711	100
1998	15,106	70	4,452	21	1,686	8	21,627	100
1999	14,874	68	4,658	21	1,986	9	21,899	100
2000	14,791	68	4,535	21	2,086	10	21,819	100
2001	14,611	67	4,641	21	2,265	10	21,862	100
2002	14,969	66	4,658	21	2,599	12	22,537	100
2003	14,426	65	4,522	20	2,829	13	22,200	100
2004	14,092	64	4,344	20	3,139	14	21,952	100
2005	13,775	63	4,642	21	3,171	14	21,953	100
2006	13,277	61	4,528	21	3,347	16	21,592	100
2007	12,455	61	4,451	22	3,269	16	20,542	100
2008	11,081	61	3,929	22	2,975	16	18,266	100
2009	10,040	60	3,670	22	2,872	17	16,834	100
2010	9,542	60	3,484	22	2,801	17	16,029	100
2011	9,216	59	3,335	21	2,802	18	15,561	100
2012	9,425	59	3,395	21	2,903	18	15,915	100
2013	9,261	59	3,291	21	2,828	18	15,577	100
2014	9,049	58	3,338	22	2,941	19	15,495	100
2015	9,652	58	3,544	21	3,216	19	16,629	100
2016	10,292	58	3,684	21	3,432	19	17,641	100
2017	10,227	58	3,613	20	3,688	21	17,751	100
2018	9,864	57	3,546	21	3,629	21	17,263	100
2019	9,287	55	3,500	21	3,852	23	16,878	100
2020	10,244	56	3,569	19	4,302	23	18,316	100
2021	11,115	55	4,027	20	4,865	24	20,261	100

The majority (76 percent) of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2021 were drivers. The ratio of driver to passenger fatalities depends both on the number of passengers carried and on the safety systems available to those passengers. Pickups had the highest proportion of driver fatalities (83 percent).

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by type, 2021
Vehicle type	Driver		Passenger		Total*
Vehicle type	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Car	11,115	75	3,608	24	14,744	100
Pickup	4,027	83	814	17	4,855	100
SUV	4,865	73	1,764	27	6,636	100
Total*	20,261	76	6,282	24	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Crash types

Frontal impacts accounted for 59 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2021. Side impacts accounted for another 22 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in all crashes by impact point and vehicle type, 2021
Point of initial impact	Car occupants		Pickup occupants		SUV occupants		All occupants
Point of initial impact	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Frontal	8,742	59	2,891	60	3,892	59	15,742	59
Side	3,662	25	843	17	1,258	19	5,824	22
Rear	853	6	181	4	369	6	1,423	5
Other (mostly rollover)	1,487	10	940	19	1,117	17	3,596	14
Total*	14,744	100	4,855	100	6,636	100	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in single-vehicle crashes by impact point and vehicle type, 2021
Point of initial impact	Car occupants		Pickup occupants		SUV occupants		All occupants
Point of initial impact	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Frontal	3,465	61	1,432	54	1,731	56	6,702	58
Side	867	15	333	12	292	9	1,511	13
Rear	88	2	31	1	33	1	153	1
Other (mostly rollover)	1,296	23	878	33	1,036	34	3,257	28
Total*	5,716	100	2,674	100	3,092	100	11,623	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes by impact point and vehicle type, 2021
Point of initial impact	Car occupants		Pickup occupants		SUV occupants		All occupants
Point of initial impact	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Frontal	5,277	58	1,459	67	2,161	61	9,040	60
Side	2,795	31	510	23	966	27	4,313	29
Rear	765	8	150	7	336	9	1,270	8
Other (mostly rollover)	191	2	62	3	81	2	339	2
Total*	9,028	100	2,181	100	3,544	100	14,962	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Thirty-nine percent of car occupant deaths in 2021 occurred in single-vehicle crashes (and 61 percent occurred in multiple-vehicle crashes). In contrast, single-vehicle crashes accounted for 55 percent of pickup occupant deaths and 47 percent of SUV occupant deaths.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by vehicle and crash type, 2021
Vehicle type	Deaths in single-vehicle crashes		Deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes		Deaths in all crashes*
Vehicle type	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Cars	5,716	39	9,028	61	14,744	100
Pickups	2,674	55	2,181	45	4,855	100
SUVs	3,092	47	3,544	53	6,636	100
Other	141	40	209	60	350	100
All passenger vehicles	11,623	44	14,962	56	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Age and sex differences

Twenty-three percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2021 were younger than 25.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by age, 2021
Age	All occupants
Age	Number	%
<25	6,178	23
25-29	2,794	11
30-34	2,521	9
35-39	2,071	8
40-44	1,757	7
45-49	1,445	5
50-54	1,646	6
55-59	1,563	6
60-64	1,505	6
65-69	1,257	5
70+	3,766	14
Total*	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

The majority of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2021 were male. This was true of both drivers (72%) and all occupants (66%), and these values were mostly consistent across age.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by age, type and sex, 2021
Age	Drivers						All occupants
	Male		Female		Total*		Male		Female		Total*
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
<16	34	76	11	24	45	100	536	53	472	47	1,011	100
16-19	918	72	362	28	1,282	100	1,367	66	710	34	2,080	100
20-24	1,651	72	641	28	2,294	100	2,093	68	990	32	3,087	100
25-29	1,631	74	587	26	2,219	100	1,945	70	847	30	2,794	100
30-34	1,497	72	577	28	2,082	100	1,733	69	779	31	2,521	100
35-39	1,205	70	514	30	1,719	100	1,377	66	694	34	2,071	100
40-44	1,059	73	400	27	1,460	100	1,204	69	551	31	1,757	100
45-49	879	73	332	27	1,212	100	987	68	456	32	1,445	100
50-54	1,006	71	406	29	1,412	100	1,122	68	524	32	1,646	100
55-59	968	73	351	27	1,320	100	1,082	69	480	31	1,563	100
60-64	930	73	349	27	1,280	100	1,014	67	490	33	1,505	100
65-69	774	74	276	26	1,051	100	837	67	419	33	1,257	100
≥70	1,929	68	921	32	2,853	100	2,184	58	1,577	42	3,766	100
Total*	14,498	72	5,735	28	20,261	100	17,525	66	9,017	34	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Just 7 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths were in the second or third row; 29 percent of these were younger than 13.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by seating position and age, 2021
Seating position	<13 years		13-19 years		≥20 years		Total*
Seating position	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Driver	1	0	1,326	7	18,902	93	20,261	100
Front-row passenger	106	3	572	14	3,379	83	4,075	100
Second-row passenger	505	28	384	21	890	49	1,801	100
Third-row passenger	29	40	14	19	29	40	72	100
Total*	715	3	2,376	9	23,412	88	26,585	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Driver death rates

Computing driver death rates per million registered passenger vehicles allows for comparisons of fatal crash risk across vehicle groups. The computed rates reflect the influence of vehicle designs plus their patterns of use and the demographics of their drivers. Driver death rates for each year are based on vehicles that were 1-3 years old at the time of the crash so as to minimize the effects of vehicle aging. Death rates calculated from vehicles with fewer than 120,000 registrations are considered unreliable and are not included.

Since 1978, the overall rates of driver and occupant deaths per million registered vehicles have declined across all passenger vehicle types. Declines in death rates have been largest for SUV occupants.

Passenger vehicle occupant death rates by vehicle type, 1978-2021

Occupant deaths per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 1978-2021
Year	Drivers				All occupants
Year	Cars	Pickups	SUVs	All passenger vehicles	Cars	Pickups	SUVs	All passenger vehicles
1978	155	237	273	169	235	346	438	256
1979	165	246	271	180	244	350	425	265
1980	167	221	287	177	248	316	494	263
1981	177	216	237	182	259	296	389	265
1982	155	188	229	159	231	263	392	236
1983	148	188	225	153	220	263	337	225
1984	147	190	143	151	218	259	218	222
1985	139	182	141	144	207	257	227	213
1986	128	172	134	133	196	239	224	202
1987	129	178	136	136	196	248	232	205
1988	133	186	121	140	205	251	198	211
1989	130	185	116	138	199	255	185	208
1990	122	179	126	131	187	245	201	197
1991	108	169	109	117	169	229	175	178
1992	101	151	88	108	160	200	151	165
1993	97	137	93	102	152	187	141	156
1994	100	134	87	104	159	178	148	161
1995	103	134	102	107	160	180	157	162
1996	107	127	98	109	167	178	150	167
1997	96	118	93	99	152	161	146	153
1998	90	119	86	94	141	158	141	144
1999	91	120	93	96	138	162	139	143
2000	83	117	81	89	127	155	135	134
2001	83	130	74	89	124	170	116	131
2002	84	123	76	88	126	162	122	131
2003	81	115	72	85	122	151	115	126
2004	76	107	66	79	114	145	103	117
2005	79	110	56	78	117	145	88	114
2006	77	101	49	73	112	137	74	106
2007	70	95	44	67	103	128	69	99
2008	65	87	35	61	92	114	52	85
2009	56	63	25	49	82	83	36	69
2010	49	64	20	43	71	80	29	61
2011	43	49	17	37	62	66	24	52
2012	42	44	16	35	61	56	23	49
2013	41	39	19	34	58	52	26	48
2014	37	38	18	32	53	47	24	44
2015	42	40	20	35	62	52	29	51
2016	44	39	21	36	63	48	32	51
2017	46	37	22	36	66	46	33	51
2018	48	34	23	36	70	42	32	51
2019	48	32	24	35	68	39	35	49
2020	53	35	25	37	72	46	34	50
2021	64	40	28	43	91	52	41	60

Historically, rates of driver deaths per million registered vehicles have been higher for smaller and lighter vehicles. The differences between large and small vehicles are less extreme today than they used to be. Monfort, S. S., & Nolan, J. M. (2019). Trends in aggressivity and driver risk for cars, SUVs, and pickups: Vehicle incompatibility from 1989 to 2016. Traffic injury prevention, 20(sup1), S92-S96.

Driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 2021

Driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 2021
		Registered vehicles	Deaths	Rate
Cars	Mini	605,905	59	97
	Small	5,337,716	406	76
	Midsize	6,735,478	373	55
	Large	1,550,954	126	81
	Very large	1,344,045	34	25
	All cars	15,574,098	999	64
Pickups	Small	1,655,155	68	41
	Large	5,033,550	188	37
	Very large	1,668,179	65	39
	All pickups	8,356,884	333	40
SUVs	Small	10,170,204	356	35
	Midsize	10,073,764	241	24
	Large	1,489,792	24	16
	Very large	426,294	7	16
	All SUVs	22,160,054	630	28
All passenger vehicles	All	47,105,279	2,008	43

Overall in 2021, there were 16 driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in single-vehicle crashes and 26 driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in multiple-vehicle crashes. Cars had the highest number of deaths per registered vehicle both in single-vehicle crashes (24 per million) and in multiple-vehicle crashes (41 per million). SUVs had the lowest number of deaths per registered vehicle in single-vehicle crashes (11 per million) and multiple-vehicle crashes (18 per million).

Driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old by crash type, 2021
		Multiple-vehicle		Single-vehicle		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes
		Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Cars	Mini	45	74	14	23	4	7	59	97
	Small	295	55	111	21	37	7	406	76
	Midsize	210	31	163	24	49	7	373	55
	Large	55	35	71	46	21	14	126	81
	Very large	25	19	9	7	2	1	34	25
	All cars	631	41	368	24	113	7	999	64
Pickups	Small	39	24	29	18	11	7	68	41
	Large	90	18	98	19	32	6	188	37
	Very large	32	19	33	20	14	8	65	39
	All pickups	170	20	163	20	58	7	333	40
SUVs	Small	253	25	103	10	21	2	356	35
	Midsize	123	12	118	12	50	5	241	24
	Large	13	9	11	7	4	3	24	16
	Very large	3	7	4	9	1	2	7	16
	All SUVs	393	18	237	11	76	3	630	28
All passenger vehicles	All	1,233	26	775	16	249	5	2,008	43

Driver deaths per million 1-3 year old registered pickups and SUVs by crash type and 2WD/4WD, 2021
		Multiple-vehicle				Single-vehicle				Single-vehicle rollover				All crashes
		2WD		4WD		2WD		4WD		2WD		4WD		2WD		4WD
		Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Pickups	Small	19	34	20	18	8	14	21	19	4	7	7	6	27	48	41	38
	Large	28	24	62	16	21	18	77	20	8	7	24	6	49	42	139	36
	Very large	1	—	31	20	0	0	33	21	0	0	14	9	0	0	64	41
	All pickups	48	26	113	17	29	16	131	20	12	7	45	7	77	42	244	37
SUVs	Small	126	29	125	22	48	11	55	9	5	1	16	3	174	40	180	31
	Midsize	60	19	63	9	49	15	69	10	14	4	36	5	109	34	132	19
	Large	4	12	9	8	3	9	8	7	1	3	3	3	7	21	17	15
	Very large	1	—	2	6	1	—	3	10	0	—	1	3	2	—	11	35
	All SUVs	191	24	199	14	101	13	135	10	20	3	56	4	292	37	334	24

In multiple-vehicle crashes, frontal impacts accounted for 18 driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in 2021. By comparison, multiple-vehicle side impacts accounted for 6 deaths per million and multiple-vehicle rear impacts accounted for 2 deaths per million.

Driver deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 2021
	Frontal impacts		Side impacts		Rear impacts		Other		Total
	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Cars	413	27	151	10	54	3	3	<1	631	41
Pickups	130	16	32	4	6	<1	1	<1	170	20
SUVs	250	11	105	5	31	1	2	<1	393	18
All passenger vehicles	827	18	293	6	91	2	6	<1	1,233	26

Driver deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old by passenger vehicle size, 2021
		Frontal impacts		Side impacts		Rear impacts		Other		Total
		Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Cars	Mini	27	45	16	26	2	3	0	<1	45	74
	Small	190	36	77	14	25	5	1	<1	295	55
	Midsize	137	20	46	7	19	3	1	<1	210	31
	Large	37	24	11	7	5	3	1	<1	55	35
	Very large	21	16	1	<1	3	2	0	<1	25	19
	All cars	413	27	151	10	54	3	3	<1	631	41
Pickups	Small	23	14	12	7	3	2	1	<1	39	24
	Large	75	15	13	3	2	<1	0	<1	90	18
	Very large	25	15	5	3	1	<1	0	<1	32	19
	All pickups	130	16	32	4	6	<1	1	<1	170	20
SUVs	Small	163	16	68	7	17	2	2	<1	253	25
	Midsize	75	7	33	3	13	1	0	<1	123	12
	Large	9	6	3	2	1	1	0	0	13	9
	Very large	2	5	1	2	0	<1	0	<1	3	7
	All SUVs	250	11	105	5	31	1	2	<1	393	18
All passenger vehicles	All	827	18	293	6	91	2	6	<1	1,233	26

In single-vehicle crashes, frontal impacts accounted for 12 driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in 2021. By comparison, single-vehicle side impacts accounted for just 1 death per million and single-vehicle rear impacts for less than 1 death per million.

Driver deaths in single-vehicle crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 2021
	Frontal impacts		Side impacts		Rear impacts		Other		Total
	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Cars	254	16	36	2	4	<1	27	2	368	24
Pickups	114	14	12	1	2	<1	18	2	163	20
SUVs	182	8	18	<1	0	0	23	1	237	11
All passenger vehicles	554	12	68	1	6	<1	69	1	775	16

Driver deaths in single-vehicle crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old by passenger vehicle size, 2021
		Frontal impacts		Side impacts		Rear impacts		Other		Total
		Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate	Deaths	Rate
Cars	Mini	13	21	0	<1	0	<1	0	<1	14	23
	Small	83	16	9	2	1	<1	9	2	111	21
	Midsize	102	15	22	3	2	<1	11	2	163	24
	Large	48	31	4	3	1	<1	7	5	71	46
	Very large	8	6	1	<1	0	<1	0	<1	9	7
	All cars	254	16	36	2	4	<1	27	2	368	24
Pickups	Small	23	14	0	<1	0	<1	5	3	29	18
	Large	74	15	7	1	1	<1	5	<1	98	19
	Very large	16	10	5	3	1	<1	7	4	33	20
	All pickups	114	14	12	1	2	<1	18	2	163	20
SUVs	Small	83	8	7	<1	0	<1	9	<1	103	10
	Midsize	87	9	8	<1	0	<1	13	1	118	12
	Large	8	5	2	1	0	0	1	1	11	7
	Very large	3	7	1	2	0	<1	0	<1	4	9
	All SUVs	182	8	18	<1	0	<1	23	1	237	11
All passenger vehicles	All	554	12	68	1	6	<1	69	1	775	16

Rollover

A crash is classified as a rollover if the vehicle tips onto its side or roof at any time during the crash. The rollover may result from an impact with another vehicle or with a fixed object. Many rollovers occur after a vehicle leaves the roadway and may lead to occupants being ejected from the vehicle, increasing the likelihood of a fatality.

A total of 7,640 passenger vehicle occupants died in rollover crashes in 2021. Although most rollovers (76 percent) were associated with a pre-rollover impact, a substantial proportion (24 percent) rolled over without having impacted anything beforehand.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in rollover crashes by impact point and vehicle type, 2021
Point of initial impact	Car occupants		Pickup occupants		SUV occupants		All occupants
Point of initial impact	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Frontal	1,532	50	853	44	1,107	44	3,542	46
Side	487	16	279	14	369	15	1,157	15
Rear	102	3	91	5	111	4	309	4
None	546	18	568	29	671	27	1,818	24
Other	393	13	164	8	249	10	814	11
Total*	3,060	100	1,955	100	2,507	100	7,640	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Crashes in which a vehicle rolled over accounted for 29 percent of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2021. The proportion of occupant deaths involving a rollover was much higher in single-vehicle crashes (49 percent) than it was for multiple-vehicle crashes (13 percent).

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths by crash type, 1978-2021
Year	Deaths in single-vehicle crashes				Deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes				Deaths in all crashes*
	Rollover		No rollover		Rollover		No rollover		Rollover		No rollover
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1978	7,858	48	8,460	52	1,477	8	17,093	92	9,350	27	25,573	73
1979	8,010	48	8,542	52	1,666	9	16,779	91	9,691	28	25,335	72
1980	8,673	49	9,001	51	1,588	9	15,679	91	10,282	29	24,714	71
1981	8,211	50	8,188	50	1,588	9	15,692	91	9,812	29	23,899	71
1982	6,974	49	7,205	51	1,305	8	14,158	92	8,282	28	21,374	72
1983	6,951	50	7,079	50	1,256	8	13,868	92	8,207	28	20,947	72
1984	7,116	50	7,092	50	1,358	9	14,528	91	8,474	28	21,620	72
1985	6,900	50	6,779	50	1,361	8	14,805	92	8,262	28	21,586	72
1986	7,954	52	7,428	48	1,501	9	15,341	91	9,455	29	22,769	71
1987	8,162	53	7,363	47	1,629	9	15,991	91	9,791	30	23,354	70
1988	8,562	53	7,494	47	1,582	9	16,467	91	10,144	30	23,961	70
1989	8,060	52	7,558	48	1,620	9	16,361	91	9,680	29	23,919	71
1990	8,068	52	7,382	48	1,556	9	15,705	91	9,624	29	23,087	71
1991	7,749	52	7,131	48	1,523	10	14,407	90	9,272	30	21,538	70
1992	7,135	52	6,693	48	1,492	10	14,137	90	8,627	29	20,830	71
1993	7,002	51	6,821	49	1,524	9	14,647	91	8,526	28	21,468	72
1994	7,268	52	6,637	48	1,669	10	15,246	90	8,937	29	21,883	71
1995	7,802	53	6,940	47	1,708	10	15,464	90	9,510	30	22,404	70
1996	7,903	53	6,891	47	1,691	10	15,869	90	9,594	30	22,760	70
1997	7,712	53	6,743	47	1,774	10	16,114	90	9,486	29	22,857	71
1998	7,848	54	6,594	46	1,872	11	15,467	89	9,720	31	22,061	69
1999	8,255	56	6,502	44	1,839	11	15,412	89	10,094	32	21,914	68
2000	8,112	54	6,841	46	1,800	10	15,356	90	9,912	31	22,197	69
2001	8,375	55	6,786	45	1,747	10	15,030	90	10,122	32	21,816	68
2002	8,724	55	7,114	45	1,952	12	14,934	88	10,676	33	22,048	67
2003	8,462	55	6,936	45	1,940	12	14,828	88	10,402	32	21,764	68
2004	8,525	56	6,764	44	2,022	12	14,439	88	10,547	33	21,203	67
2005	8,730	57	6,713	43	2,095	13	13,902	87	10,825	34	20,630	66
2006	8,790	57	6,666	43	1,919	13	13,229	87	10,712	35	19,916	65
2007	8,429	56	6,528	44	1,844	13	12,330	87	10,274	35	18,881	65
2008	7,541	56	6,002	44	1,529	13	10,459	87	9,073	36	16,474	64
2009	6,868	55	5,538	45	1,451	13	9,630	87	8,322	35	15,185	65
2010	6,375	55	5,245	45	1,365	13	9,366	87	7,740	35	14,611	65
2011	6,148	55	5,076	45	1,293	13	8,896	87	7,441	35	13,972	65
2012	6,273	55	5,201	45	1,312	13	9,120	87	7,585	35	14,321	65
2013	5,825	53	5,168	47	1,257	12	9,111	88	7,082	33	14,279	67
2014	5,570	52	5,059	48	1,304	12	9,198	88	6,874	33	14,257	67
2015	5,802	53	5,138	47	1,458	12	10,343	88	7,260	32	15,481	68
2016	5,919	52	5,511	48	1,616	13	10,911	87	7,535	31	16,422	69
2017	5,617	51	5,455	49	1,651	13	11,143	87	7,268	30	16,598	70
2018	5,125	49	5,247	51	1,511	12	11,163	88	6,636	29	16,410	71
2019	4,877	49	5,159	51	1,500	12	11,021	88	6,377	28	16,180	72
2020	5,611	50	5,674	50	1,627	13	11,223	87	7,238	30	16,897	70
2021	5,643	49	5,980	51	1,997	13	12,965	87	7,640	29	18,945	71
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

In 2021, rollover crashes accounted for 21 percent of occupant deaths in cars, 40 percent of occupant deaths in pickups, and 38 percent of occupant deaths in SUVs.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in rollover vs. no rollover crashes, 1978-2021
Year	Car occupants				Pickup occupants				SUV occupants
	Rollover		No rollover		Rollover		No rollover		Rollover		No rollover
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1978	6,422	23	21,476	77	1,989	39	3,114	61	520	61	332	39
1979	6,416	23	21,102	77	2,222	41	3,201	59	630	67	315	33
1980	6,862	25	20,420	75	2,263	41	3,226	59	735	65	389	35
1981	6,541	25	19,865	75	2,177	42	3,059	58	663	65	358	35
1982	5,477	24	17,667	76	1,935	40	2,844	60	571	66	291	34
1983	5,381	24	17,420	76	1,939	42	2,721	58	609	66	311	34
1984	5,525	24	17,959	76	2,048	42	2,836	58	587	66	299	34
1985	5,220	23	17,864	77	2,044	42	2,848	58	671	66	353	34
1986	6,000	24	18,898	76	2,371	44	2,963	56	737	65	394	35
1987	6,015	24	19,145	76	2,598	45	3,197	55	824	65	445	35
1988	6,246	24	19,630	76	2,762	45	3,327	55	815	62	505	38
1989	5,801	23	19,533	77	2,680	45	3,336	55	847	62	526	38
1990	5,714	23	18,749	77	2,713	45	3,319	55	910	61	570	39
1991	5,470	24	17,324	76	2,593	44	3,265	56	934	61	587	39
1992	4,968	23	16,921	77	2,479	45	2,997	55	879	63	511	37
1993	4,877	22	17,289	78	2,415	43	3,196	57	971	63	581	37
1994	5,149	23	17,559	77	2,393	43	3,211	57	1,102	61	707	39
1995	5,381	23	17,838	77	2,581	43	3,392	57	1,257	63	749	37
1996	5,357	23	18,170	77	2,539	43	3,389	57	1,429	65	781	35
1997	5,174	22	18,069	78	2,479	42	3,443	58	1,516	63	900	37
1998	5,177	23	17,298	77	2,537	43	3,367	57	1,703	63	1,008	37
1999	5,212	23	16,997	77	2,699	44	3,396	56	1,901	63	1,118	37
2000	5,030	23	17,061	77	2,529	42	3,467	58	2,067	62	1,270	38
2001	5,056	23	16,632	77	2,636	43	3,485	57	2,159	61	1,362	39
2002	5,279	24	16,835	76	2,715	45	3,343	55	2,474	62	1,548	38
2003	4,943	23	16,182	77	2,509	43	3,324	57	2,658	60	1,805	40
2004	4,801	23	15,822	77	2,519	44	3,197	56	2,949	62	1,823	38
2005	4,860	24	15,096	76	2,773	46	3,267	54	2,909	60	1,938	40
2006	4,754	25	14,333	75	2,781	47	3,096	53	2,919	59	2,054	41
2007	4,414	25	13,391	75	2,660	46	3,098	54	2,929	59	2,046	41
2008	3,994	25	11,731	75	2,368	47	2,653	53	2,510	58	1,840	42
2009	3,515	25	10,609	75	2,246	48	2,473	52	2,388	56	1,866	44
2010	3,202	24	10,231	76	2,057	46	2,386	54	2,340	57	1,790	43
2011	3,063	24	9,675	76	1,973	46	2,272	54	2,259	55	1,836	45
2012	3,208	24	9,904	76	1,987	46	2,352	54	2,287	55	1,884	45
2013	2,991	23	9,740	77	1,916	45	2,299	55	2,057	50	2,041	50
2014	2,818	22	9,725	78	1,871	44	2,352	56	2,070	50	2,033	50
2015	3,004	23	10,316	77	1,916	43	2,574	57	2,211	48	2,366	52
2016	3,124	22	10,933	78	1,973	43	2,652	57	2,305	47	2,603	53
2017	3,007	22	10,895	78	1,837	41	2,597	59	2,322	45	2,864	55
2018	2,677	20	10,583	80	1,741	40	2,639	60	2,113	42	2,946	58
2019	2,527	20	10,008	80	1,630	38	2,654	62	2,100	39	3,265	61
2020	3,017	22	10,637	78	1,804	41	2,603	59	2,326	40	3,455	60
2021	3,060	21	11,684	79	1,955	40	2,900	60	2,507	38	4,129	62

A total of 5,643 passenger vehicle occupants died in single-vehicle rollover crashes in 2021, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of all rollover deaths (7,640 in all). The number of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in single-vehicle rollovers was 28 percent lower than it was in 1978.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes, 1978-2021
Year	Car drivers	Pickup drivers	SUV drivers	All passenger vehicle drivers	All passenger vehicle occupants
1978	3,710	1,140	271	5,323	7,858
1979	3,610	1,263	329	5,396	8,010
1980	3,995	1,309	406	5,895	8,673
1981	3,826	1,291	364	5,687	8,211
1982	3,222	1,162	312	4,828	6,974
1983	3,169	1,120	319	4,732	6,951
1984	3,252	1,226	331	4,964	7,116
1985	3,076	1,202	360	4,773	6,900
1986	3,477	1,401	375	5,400	7,954
1987	3,436	1,535	403	5,528	8,162
1988	3,679	1,656	447	5,925	8,562
1989	3,314	1,629	463	5,551	8,060
1990	3,301	1,563	486	5,477	8,068
1991	3,105	1,595	470	5,282	7,749
1992	2,806	1,492	442	4,848	7,135
1993	2,670	1,462	494	4,729	7,002
1994	2,838	1,403	522	4,879	7,268
1995	3,024	1,556	602	5,284	7,802
1996	2,953	1,514	720	5,294	7,903
1997	2,836	1,469	754	5,178	7,712
1998	2,878	1,545	808	5,328	7,848
1999	2,882	1,667	999	5,644	8,255
2000	2,813	1,526	1,035	5,466	8,112
2001	2,852	1,651	1,063	5,654	8,375
2002	2,998	1,668	1,224	5,967	8,724
2003	2,762	1,595	1,331	5,789	8,462
2004	2,715	1,540	1,490	5,853	8,525
2005	2,779	1,711	1,478	6,074	8,730
2006	2,776	1,754	1,555	6,198	8,790
2007	2,640	1,683	1,516	5,934	8,429
2008	2,362	1,537	1,398	5,380	7,541
2009	2,103	1,478	1,273	4,913	6,868
2010	1,954	1,324	1,226	4,548	6,375
2011	1,851	1,297	1,218	4,430	6,148
2012	1,955	1,288	1,287	4,567	6,273
2013	1,808	1,219	1,112	4,181	5,825
2014	1,674	1,195	1,185	4,100	5,570
2015	1,798	1,206	1,210	4,269	5,802
2016	1,894	1,221	1,208	4,377	5,919
2017	1,809	1,155	1,245	4,244	5,617
2018	1,605	1,110	1,128	3,880	5,125
2019	1,482	1,042	1,120	3,691	4,877
2020	1,846	1,173	1,289	4,343	5,611
2021	1,815	1,232	1,342	4,441	5,643

In 2021, single-vehicle rollover crashes accounted for 16 percent of occupant deaths in cars, 30 percent of occupant deaths in pickups, and 27 percent of occupant deaths in SUVs.

Deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes as a percent of total occupant deaths, 2021
		Drivers				All occupants
		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Cars	Mini	74	14	539	100	95	13	708	100
	Small	503	15	3,437	100	633	14	4,503	100
	Midsize	787	17	4,571	100	1,003	16	6,084	100
	Large	332	19	1,749	100	428	19	2,305	100
	Very large	106	15	706	100	135	14	1,000	100
	All cars	1,815	16	11,115	100	2,311	16	14,744	100
Pickups	Small	263	26	1,016	100	323	27	1,188	100
	Large	642	29	2,229	100	780	29	2,723	100
	Very large	306	45	686	100	348	42	829	100
	All pickups	1,232	31	4,027	100	1,475	30	4,855	100
SUVs	Small	285	17	1,668	100	366	16	2,253	100
	Midsize	684	31	2,210	100	920	30	3,036	100
	Large	266	38	691	100	359	38	947	100
	Very large	104	39	267	100	136	37	365	100
	All SUVs	1,342	28	4,865	100	1,784	27	6,636	100
All passenger vehicles	All	4,441	22	20,261	100	5,643	21	26,585	100

Deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes as a percent of total driver deaths for pickups and SUVs by 2WD/4WD, 2021
		2WD				4WD
		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Pickups	Small	177	26	684	100	86	26	332	100
	Large	284	26	1,091	100	358	31	1,138	100
	Very large	42	30	138	100	264	48	548	100
	All pickups	503	26	1,914	100	708	35	2,018	100
SUVs	Small	89	12	730	100	196	21	933	100
	Midsize	259	28	940	100	425	33	1,270	100
	Large	121	39	313	100	145	38	378	100
	Very large	35	34	103	100	69	42	164	100
	All SUVs	504	24	2,086	100	835	30	2,745	100

Deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes as a percent of total occupant deaths for pickups and SUVs by 2WD/4WD, 2021
		2WD				4WD
		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes		Single-vehicle rollover		All crashes
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Pickups	Small	214	27	799	100	109	28	389	100
	Large	352	26	1,333	100	428	31	1,390	100
	Very large	50	29	173	100	298	45	656	100
	All pickups	616	27	2,306	100	835	34	2,435	100
SUVs	Small	118	12	1,017	100	248	20	1,230	100
	Midsize	339	26	1,284	100	581	33	1,752	100
	Large	169	39	433	100	190	37	514	100
	Very large	51	36	141	100	85	38	224	100
	All SUVs	677	24	2,875	100	1,104	30	3,720	100

Since 1978, driver death rates for single-vehicle rollover crashes have declined across all passenger vehicle types, particularly among SUVs.

Driver deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 1978-2021

Driver deaths in single-vehicle rollover crashes per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 1978-2021
Year	Car drivers	Pickup drivers	SUV drivers	All passenger vehicles
1978	32	78	141	41
1979	31	90	155	43
1980	37	83	168	47
1981	35	76	137	44
1982	31	65	129	38
1983	29	62	126	35
1984	27	72	69	34
1985	25	61	73	32
1986	24	70	62	32
1987	24	68	67	33
1988	26	70	55	34
1989	24	68	60	33
1990	25	68	60	34
1991	23	66	54	31
1992	20	56	40	27
1993	19	50	51	26
1994	19	42	37	25
1995	20	49	45	27
1996	24	47	55	31
1997	21	44	43	27
1998	21	43	43	28
1999	20	49	47	29
2000	18	46	42	27
2001	18	53	36	27
2002	18	52	36	28
2003	16	47	34	25
2004	15	44	30	23
2005	16	46	24	23
2006	15	44	19	21
2007	14	38	16	19
2008	13	32	12	16
2009	13	28	6	13
2010	11	25	4	11
2011	8	17	4	8
2012	6	11	3	6
2013	5	11	3	5
2014	6	9	3	6
2015	6	7	3	5
2016	5	7	3	5
2017	6	6	3	5
2018	6	5	3	5
2019	4	6	4	4
2020	7	6	4	5
2021	7	7	3	5