Fatality Facts 2021Yearly snapshot

Overview

A total of 42,939 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021. The U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent estimate of the annual economic cost of crashes is $340 billion. Blincoe, L., Miller, T., Wang, J.-S., Swedler, D., Coughlin, T., Lawrence, B., Guo, F., Klauer, S., and Dingus, T. (2022, December). The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes, 2019 (Report No. DOT HS 813-403). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Contributing to the death toll are alcohol, speeding, lack of seat belt use and other problematic behaviors. Death rates vary by vehicle type, driver age and sex, and other factors.

In 1975, the U.S. Department of Transportation started an annual census of motor vehicle deaths, recording information on crash type, vehicle type, road type, driver characteristics and a variety of other factors. Institute researchers analyze these data each year to quantify the public health problem of motor vehicle deaths.

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

Posted May 2023.

Trends

A total of 42,939 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021. These deaths occurred in 39,508 crashes involving 61,332 motor vehicles. This was a 10 percent increase in deaths compared with 2020.

Number of deaths, crashes and motor vehicles in fatal crashes, 1975-2021
Year	Deaths	Crashes	Motor vehicles
1975	44,525	39,161	55,534
1976	45,523	39,747	56,084
1977	47,878	42,211	60,516
1978	50,331	44,433	64,144
1979	51,093	45,223	64,762
1980	51,091	45,284	63,485
1981	49,301	44,000	62,699
1982	43,945	39,092	56,455
1983	42,589	37,976	55,106
1984	44,257	39,631	57,972
1985	43,825	39,196	58,272
1986	46,087	41,090	60,792
1987	46,390	41,438	61,836
1988	47,087	42,130	62,703
1989	45,582	40,741	60,870
1990	44,599	39,836	59,292
1991	41,508	36,937	54,795
1992	39,250	34,942	52,227
1993	40,150	35,780	53,777
1994	40,716	36,254	54,911
1995	41,817	37,241	56,524
1996	42,065	37,494	57,347
1997	42,013	37,324	57,060
1998	41,501	37,107	56,922
1999	41,717	37,140	56,820
2000	41,945	37,526	57,594
2001	42,196	37,862	57,918
2002	43,005	38,491	58,426
2003	42,884	38,477	58,877
2004	42,836	38,444	58,729
2005	43,510	39,252	59,495
2006	42,708	38,648	58,094
2007	41,259	37,435	56,253
2008	37,423	34,172	50,660
2009	33,883	30,862	45,540
2010	32,999	30,296	44,862
2011	32,479	29,867	44,119
2012	33,782	31,006	45,960
2013	32,894	30,203	45,102
2014	32,744	30,056	44,950
2015	35,485	32,539	49,477
2016	37,806	34,748	52,714
2017	37,473	34,560	53,128
2018	36,835	33,919	52,286
2019	36,355	33,487	51,623
2020	39,007	35,935	54,552
2021	42,939	39,508	61,332

Although the U.S. population has continued to grow since 1975, the rate of crash deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 was 39 percent lower than it was four decades ago. In 2021, the overall per capita death rate increased 9 percent compared with 2020.

Motor vehicle crash deaths and deaths per 100,000 people, 1975-2021

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by type, 1975-2021
Year	Population	Passenger vehicle occupants		Pedestrians		Motorcyclists		Bicyclists		Large truck occupants		All motor vehicle deaths*
Year	Population	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate
1975	215,973,199	30,601	14.2	7,516	3.5	3,180	1.5	1,003	0.5	916	0.4	44,525	20.6
1976	218,035,164	31,724	14.5	7,427	3.4	3,306	1.5	914	0.4	1,100	0.5	45,523	20.9
1977	220,239,425	32,823	14.9	7,732	3.5	4,099	1.9	922	0.4	1,229	0.6	47,878	21.7
1978	222,584,545	34,923	15.7	7,795	3.5	4,574	2.1	892	0.4	1,315	0.6	50,331	22.6
1979	225,055,487	35,026	15.6	8,096	3.6	4,892	2.2	932	0.4	1,372	0.6	51,093	22.7
1980	227,224,719	34,996	15.4	8,070	3.6	5,138	2.3	965	0.4	1,183	0.5	51,091	22.5
1981	229,465,608	33,711	14.7	7,837	3.4	4,896	2.1	936	0.4	1,082	0.5	49,301	21.5
1982	231,664,496	29,656	12.8	7,331	3.2	4,449	1.9	864	0.4	917	0.4	43,945	19.0
1983	233,791,903	29,154	12.5	6,826	2.9	4,260	1.8	830	0.4	960	0.4	42,589	18.2
1984	235,824,783	30,094	12.8	7,025	3.0	4,602	2.0	838	0.4	1,040	0.4	44,257	18.8
1985	237,923,732	29,848	12.5	6,808	2.9	4,562	1.9	869	0.4	941	0.4	43,825	18.4
1986	240,132,841	32,224	13.4	6,779	2.8	4,566	1.9	929	0.4	892	0.4	46,087	19.2
1987	242,289,023	33,145	13.7	6,745	2.8	4,034	1.7	940	0.4	821	0.3	46,390	19.1
1988	244,498,836	34,105	13.9	6,870	2.8	3,661	1.5	901	0.4	886	0.4	47,087	19.3
1989	246,819,119	33,599	13.6	6,556	2.7	3,135	1.3	822	0.3	822	0.3	45,582	18.5
1990	249,464,396	32,711	13.1	6,482	2.6	3,243	1.3	853	0.3	684	0.3	44,599	17.9
1991	252,153,092	30,810	12.2	5,801	2.3	2,805	1.1	836	0.3	650	0.3	41,508	16.5
1992	255,029,699	29,457	11.6	5,549	2.2	2,395	0.9	717	0.3	580	0.2	39,250	15.4
1993	257,782,608	29,994	11.6	5,649	2.2	2,445	0.9	806	0.3	590	0.2	40,150	15.6
1994	260,327,021	30,820	11.8	5,489	2.1	2,317	0.9	796	0.3	658	0.3	40,716	15.6
1995	262,803,276	31,914	12.1	5,584	2.1	2,226	0.8	828	0.3	634	0.2	41,817	15.9
1996	265,228,572	32,354	12.2	5,449	2.1	2,161	0.8	761	0.3	602	0.2	42,065	15.9
1997	267,783,607	32,343	12.1	5,321	2.0	2,116	0.8	811	0.3	717	0.3	42,013	15.7
1998	270,248,003	31,781	11.8	5,228	1.9	2,294	0.8	757	0.3	739	0.3	41,501	15.4
1999	272,690,813	32,008	11.7	4,939	1.8	2,483	0.9	750	0.3	747	0.3	41,717	15.3
2000	282,192,162	32,109	11.4	4,763	1.7	2,895	1.0	689	0.2	737	0.3	41,945	14.9
2001	285,102,075	31,938	11.2	4,901	1.7	3,195	1.1	729	0.3	691	0.2	42,196	14.8
2002	287,941,220	32,724	11.4	4,851	1.7	3,267	1.1	663	0.2	675	0.2	43,005	14.9
2003	290,788,976	32,166	11.1	4,774	1.6	3,710	1.3	626	0.2	703	0.2	42,884	14.7
2004	293,655,404	31,750	10.8	4,675	1.6	4,026	1.4	722	0.2	743	0.3	42,836	14.6
2005	296,410,404	31,455	10.6	4,892	1.7	4,575	1.5	784	0.3	758	0.3	43,510	14.7
2006	299,398,484	30,628	10.2	4,795	1.6	4,810	1.6	769	0.3	774	0.3	42,708	14.3
2007	301,621,157	29,155	9.7	4,699	1.6	5,174	1.7	699	0.2	745	0.2	41,259	13.7
2008	304,059,724	25,547	8.4	4,414	1.5	5,307	1.7	716	0.2	615	0.2	37,423	12.3
2009	307,006,550	23,507	7.7	4,109	1.3	4,467	1.5	628	0.2	449	0.1	33,883	11.0
2010	309,327,143	22,351	7.2	4,302	1.4	4,517	1.5	621	0.2	475	0.2	32,999	10.7
2011	311,583,481	21,413	6.9	4,457	1.4	4,630	1.5	680	0.2	555	0.2	32,479	10.4
2012	313,877,662	21,906	7.0	4,818	1.5	4,986	1.6	730	0.2	590	0.2	33,782	10.8
2013	316,059,947	21,361	6.8	4,779	1.5	4,691	1.5	747	0.2	589	0.2	32,894	10.4
2014	318,386,329	21,131	6.6	4,910	1.5	4,302	1.4	723	0.2	585	0.2	32,744	10.3
2015	320,738,994	22,741	7.1	5,495	1.7	5,026	1.6	828	0.3	598	0.2	35,485	11.1
2016	323,071,755	23,957	7.4	6,080	1.9	5,337	1.7	848	0.3	662	0.2	37,806	11.7
2017	325,122,128	23,866	7.3	6,075	1.9	5,229	1.6	800	0.2	680	0.2	37,473	11.5
2018	326,838,199	23,046	7.1	6,374	2.0	5,038	1.5	868	0.3	677	0.2	36,835	11.3
2019	328,329,953	22,557	6.9	6,272	1.9	5,044	1.5	856	0.3	680	0.2	36,355	11.1
2020	329,484,123	24,135	7.3	6,565	2.0	5,619	1.7	942	0.3	609	0.2	39,007	11.8
2021	331,893,745	26,585	8.0	7,388	2.2	6,084	1.8	961	0.3	756	0.2	42,939	12.9
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Sixty-two percent of crash fatalities in 2021 were passenger vehicle occupants, 17 percent were pedestrians, 14 percent were motorcyclists, 2 percent were bicyclists, and 2 percent were occupants of large trucks.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by type, 1975-2021
Year	Passenger vehicle occupants		Pedestrians		Motorcyclists		Bicyclists		Large truck occupants		Other		All motor vehicle deaths
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number
1975	30,601	69	7,516	17	3,180	7	1,003	2	916	2	1,309	3	44,525
1976	31,724	70	7,427	16	3,306	7	914	2	1,100	2	1,052	2	45,523
1977	32,823	69	7,732	16	4,099	9	922	2	1,229	3	1,073	2	47,878
1978	34,923	69	7,795	15	4,574	9	892	2	1,315	3	832	2	50,331
1979	35,026	69	8,096	16	4,892	10	932	2	1,372	3	775	2	51,093
1980	34,996	68	8,070	16	5,138	10	965	2	1,183	2	739	1	51,091
1981	33,711	68	7,837	16	4,896	10	936	2	1,082	2	839	2	49,301
1982	29,656	67	7,331	17	4,449	10	864	2	917	2	728	2	43,945
1983	29,154	68	6,826	16	4,260	10	830	2	960	2	559	1	42,589
1984	30,094	68	7,025	16	4,602	10	838	2	1,040	2	658	1	44,257
1985	29,848	68	6,808	16	4,562	10	869	2	941	2	797	2	43,825
1986	32,224	70	6,779	15	4,566	10	929	2	892	2	697	2	46,087
1987	33,145	71	6,745	15	4,034	9	940	2	821	2	705	2	46,390
1988	34,105	72	6,870	15	3,661	8	901	2	886	2	664	1	47,087
1989	33,599	74	6,556	14	3,135	7	822	2	822	2	648	1	45,582
1990	32,711	73	6,482	15	3,243	7	853	2	684	2	626	1	44,599
1991	30,810	74	5,801	14	2,805	7	836	2	650	2	606	1	41,508
1992	29,457	75	5,549	14	2,395	6	717	2	580	1	552	1	39,250
1993	29,994	75	5,649	14	2,445	6	806	2	590	1	666	2	40,150
1994	30,820	76	5,489	13	2,317	6	796	2	658	2	636	2	40,716
1995	31,914	76	5,584	13	2,226	5	828	2	634	2	631	2	41,817
1996	32,354	77	5,449	13	2,161	5	761	2	602	1	738	2	42,065
1997	32,343	77	5,321	13	2,116	5	811	2	717	2	705	2	42,013
1998	31,781	77	5,228	13	2,294	6	757	2	739	2	702	2	41,501
1999	32,008	77	4,939	12	2,483	6	750	2	747	2	790	2	41,717
2000	32,109	77	4,763	11	2,895	7	689	2	737	2	752	2	41,945
2001	31,938	76	4,901	12	3,195	8	729	2	691	2	742	2	42,196
2002	32,724	76	4,851	11	3,267	8	663	2	675	2	825	2	43,005
2003	32,166	75	4,774	11	3,710	9	626	1	703	2	905	2	42,884
2004	31,750	74	4,675	11	4,026	9	722	2	743	2	920	2	42,836
2005	31,455	72	4,892	11	4,575	11	784	2	758	2	1,046	2	43,510
2006	30,628	72	4,795	11	4,810	11	769	2	774	2	932	2	42,708
2007	29,155	71	4,699	11	5,174	13	699	2	745	2	787	2	41,259
2008	25,547	68	4,414	12	5,307	14	716	2	615	2	824	2	37,423
2009	23,507	69	4,109	12	4,467	13	628	2	449	1	723	2	33,883
2010	22,351	68	4,302	13	4,517	14	621	2	475	1	733	2	32,999
2011	21,413	66	4,457	14	4,630	14	680	2	555	2	744	2	32,479
2012	21,906	65	4,818	14	4,986	15	730	2	590	2	752	2	33,782
2013	21,361	65	4,779	15	4,691	14	747	2	589	2	727	2	32,894
2014	21,131	65	4,910	15	4,302	13	723	2	585	2	1,093	3	32,744
2015	22,741	64	5,495	15	5,026	14	828	2	598	2	797	2	35,485
2016	23,957	63	6,080	16	5,337	14	848	2	662	2	922	2	37,806
2017	23,866	64	6,075	16	5,229	14	800	2	680	2	823	2	37,473
2018	23,046	63	6,374	17	5,038	14	868	2	677	2	832	2	36,835
2019	22,557	62	6,272	17	5,044	14	856	2	680	2	946	3	36,355
2020	24,135	62	6,565	17	5,619	14	942	2	609	2	1,137	3	39,007
2021	26,585	62	7,388	17	6,084	14	961	2	756	2	1,165	3	42,939

The rate of crash deaths per 100 million miles traveled increased by 2 percent from 1.34 in 2020 to 1.37 in 2021. Federal Highway Administration. (2023). Highway statistics, 2021. U.S. Department of Transportation.

Motor vehicle crash deaths and deaths per 100 million miles traveled, 1975-2021

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100 million miles traveled, 1975-2021
Year	Deaths	Miles traveled (millions)	Rate
1975	44,525	1,330,074	3.35
1976	45,523	1,409,163	3.23
1977	47,878	1,476,567	3.24
1978	50,331	1,548,213	3.25
1979	51,093	1,529,133	3.34
1980	51,091	1,520,857	3.36
1981	49,301	1,550,271	3.18
1982	43,945	1,592,481	2.76
1983	42,589	1,649,106	2.58
1984	44,257	1,716,768	2.58
1985	43,825	1,774,762	2.47
1986	46,087	1,838,240	2.51
1987	46,390	1,924,327	2.41
1988	47,087	2,025,586	2.32
1989	45,582	2,107,040	2.16
1990	44,599	2,147,501	2.08
1991	41,508	2,172,214	1.91
1992	39,250	2,239,828	1.75
1993	40,150	2,296,585	1.75
1994	40,716	2,357,588	1.73
1995	41,817	2,422,775	1.73
1996	42,065	2,482,202	1.69
1997	42,013	2,560,373	1.64
1998	41,501	2,625,367	1.58
1999	41,717	2,691,335	1.55
2000	41,945	2,749,803	1.53
2001	42,196	2,781,462	1.52
2002	43,005	2,855,756	1.51
2003	42,884	2,890,893	1.48
2004	42,836	2,962,513	1.45
2005	43,510	2,989,807	1.46
2006	42,708	3,014,116	1.42
2007	41,259	3,032,399	1.36
2008	37,423	2,973,509	1.26
2009	33,883	2,977,591	1.14
2010	32,999	2,966,506	1.11
2011	32,479	2,946,131	1.10
2012	33,782	2,969,433	1.14
2013	32,894	2,988,280	1.10
2014	32,744	3,025,656	1.08
2015	35,485	3,095,373	1.15
2016	37,806	3,174,408	1.19
2017	37,473	3,212,347	1.17
2018	36,835	3,240,327	1.14
2019	36,355	3,261,772	1.11
2020	39,007	2,903,622	1.34
2021	42,939	3,140,088	1.37

Age and sex

At all ages, males had higher per capita crash death rates than females in 2021. Males ages 25 to 29 had the highest rates of crash deaths, and females ages 12 and younger had the lowest rate.

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age and sex, 2021
Age	Male			Female			Total*
Age	Population	Deaths	Rate	Population	Deaths	Rate	Population	Deaths	Rate
<13	26,442,279	503	1.9	25,248,817	414	1.6	51,691,096	922	1.8
13-15	6,774,981	273	4.0	6,456,519	183	2.8	13,231,500	458	3.5
16-19	8,794,449	1,780	20.2	8,414,291	815	9.7	17,208,740	2,600	15.1
20-24	10,973,238	3,092	28.2	10,550,759	1,184	11.2	21,523,997	4,283	19.9
25-29	11,379,058	3,225	28.3	11,013,419	1,080	9.8	22,392,477	4,310	19.2
30-34	11,674,304	3,073	26.3	11,428,324	1,054	9.2	23,102,628	4,138	17.9
35-39	11,263,833	2,596	23.0	11,035,485	973	8.8	22,299,318	3,572	16.0
40-44	10,593,780	2,335	22.0	10,510,756	801	7.6	21,104,536	3,144	14.9
45-49	9,875,757	2,049	20.7	9,905,753	679	6.9	19,781,510	2,735	13.8
50-54	10,436,202	2,274	21.8	10,470,724	775	7.4	20,906,926	3,054	14.6
55-59	10,630,059	2,331	21.9	10,937,255	747	6.8	21,567,314	3,080	14.3
60-64	10,333,259	2,170	21.0	10,902,491	744	6.8	21,235,750	2,925	13.8
65-69	8,748,213	1,665	19.0	9,646,107	611	6.3	18,394,320	2,280	12.4
70-74	7,120,873	1,198	16.8	8,150,929	577	7.1	15,271,802	1,779	11.6
75-79	4,472,410	862	19.3	5,432,359	512	9.4	9,904,769	1,375	13.9
80-84	2,696,104	622	23.1	3,605,202	372	10.3	6,301,306	996	15.8
85+	2,175,943	578	26.6	3,799,813	478	12.6	5,975,756	1,059	17.7
Total*	164,384,742	30,747	18.7	167,509,003	12,051	7.2	331,893,745	42,939	12.9
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

From 1975 to 2021, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people declined by 78 percent for people 12 and younger (from 7.9 to 1.8), 66 percent for teenagers (from 29.4 to 10.0), 36 percent for people ages 20-34 (from 29.6 to 19.0), 18 percent for people ages 35-69 (from 17.5 to 14.3), and 46 percent for people 70 and older (from 25.9 to 13.9).

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people by age group, 1975-2021
Year	<13 years			13-19 years			20-34 years			35-69 years			70+ years
Year	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate	Population	Number	Rate
1975	45,851,304	3,643	7.9	29,795,023	8,748	29.4	50,998,098	15,074	29.6	74,764,829	13,080	17.5	14,563,945	3,775	25.9
1976	45,000,704	3,424	7.6	29,909,414	9,356	31.3	52,745,005	15,517	29.4	75,419,921	13,137	17.4	14,960,120	3,896	26.0
1977	44,337,332	3,347	7.5	29,800,313	9,633	32.3	54,497,448	17,287	31.7	76,203,083	13,460	17.7	15,401,249	3,859	25.1
1978	43,907,467	3,367	7.7	29,543,252	9,940	33.6	55,909,063	18,886	33.8	77,348,222	14,020	18.1	15,876,541	3,824	24.1
1979	43,778,959	3,171	7.2	29,077,607	9,920	34.1	57,499,197	19,675	34.2	78,311,107	14,232	18.2	16,388,617	3,772	23.0
1980	43,914,342	3,048	6.9	28,486,487	9,524	33.4	58,814,391	20,110	34.2	79,111,522	14,219	18.0	16,897,977	3,861	22.8
1981	44,049,940	2,733	6.2	27,743,947	8,315	30.0	60,563,416	19,887	32.8	79,785,591	13,950	17.5	17,322,714	3,871	22.3
1982	44,131,596	2,573	5.8	27,160,586	7,323	27.0	61,099,524	17,465	28.6	81,488,902	12,685	15.6	17,783,888	3,655	20.6
1983	44,119,297	2,518	5.7	26,737,497	6,805	25.5	61,840,154	16,853	27.3	82,861,204	12,488	15.1	18,233,751	3,734	20.5
1984	43,978,044	2,422	5.5	26,435,885	6,952	26.3	62,491,255	17,579	28.1	84,256,661	13,006	15.4	18,662,938	4,052	21.7
1985	44,260,136	2,469	5.6	26,001,247	6,737	25.9	62,961,154	17,031	27.1	85,628,410	13,126	15.3	19,072,785	4,206	22.1
1986	44,755,454	2,537	5.7	25,592,481	7,466	29.2	63,115,889	18,132	28.7	87,205,537	13,263	15.2	19,463,480	4,445	22.8
1987	45,348,247	2,654	5.9	25,209,615	7,293	28.9	63,032,298	17,676	28.0	88,808,046	14,074	15.8	19,890,817	4,555	22.9
1988	45,942,966	2,701	5.9	25,004,445	7,242	29.0	62,784,739	17,613	28.1	90,464,406	14,458	16.0	20,302,280	4,925	24.3
1989	46,690,604	2,658	5.7	24,664,300	6,688	27.1	62,494,056	16,512	26.4	92,250,762	14,651	15.9	20,719,397	4,943	23.9
1990	47,472,527	2,332	4.9	24,404,795	6,364	26.1	62,282,683	16,366	26.3	94,140,108	14,568	15.5	21,164,283	4,844	22.9
1991	48,240,747	2,257	4.7	24,066,587	5,760	23.9	62,025,750	14,949	24.1	96,068,111	13,587	14.1	21,751,897	4,843	22.3
1992	48,903,668	2,165	4.4	24,163,175	5,215	21.6	61,427,100	13,445	21.9	98,214,539	13,414	13.7	22,321,217	4,901	22.0
1993	49,335,864	2,164	4.4	24,664,091	5,421	22.0	60,582,332	13,456	22.2	100,399,648	13,748	13.7	22,800,673	5,221	22.9
1994	49,692,462	2,301	4.6	25,219,838	5,632	22.3	59,629,351	13,020	21.8	102,541,525	14,251	13.9	23,243,845	5,425	23.3
1995	49,920,484	2,201	4.4	25,764,300	5,675	22.0	58,712,407	13,330	22.7	104,712,328	15,018	14.3	23,693,757	5,509	23.3
1996	50,085,188	2,186	4.4	26,357,198	5,819	22.1	57,753,910	12,869	22.3	106,975,953	15,496	14.5	24,056,323	5,578	23.2
1997	50,364,983	2,108	4.2	26,730,812	5,730	21.4	57,046,569	12,334	21.6	109,232,426	15,860	14.5	24,408,817	5,872	24.1
1998	50,527,476	2,032	4.0	27,174,728	5,610	20.6	56,421,053	11,785	20.9	111,331,195	16,185	14.5	24,793,551	5,798	23.4
1999	50,667,139	1,997	3.9	27,518,156	5,752	20.9	55,961,401	11,840	21.2	113,451,312	16,384	14.4	25,092,805	5,657	22.5
2000	52,219,423	1,888	3.6	28,326,412	5,685	20.1	58,971,709	12,174	20.6	117,114,739	16,700	14.3	25,559,879	5,379	21.0
2001	52,341,395	1,751	3.3	28,437,711	5,594	19.7	59,465,066	12,375	20.8	119,060,436	16,934	14.2	25,797,467	5,425	21.0
2002	52,332,306	1,617	3.1	28,644,313	5,954	20.8	60,046,068	12,609	21.0	120,913,207	17,374	14.4	26,005,326	5,332	20.5
2003	52,187,602	1,643	3.1	29,028,500	5,718	19.7	60,599,350	12,365	20.4	122,772,578	17,705	14.4	26,200,946	5,363	20.5
2004	52,151,406	1,645	3.2	29,400,392	5,645	19.2	61,003,240	12,620	20.7	124,762,848	17,707	14.2	26,337,518	5,106	19.4
2005	52,149,395	1,529	2.9	29,589,854	5,300	17.9	61,180,772	13,023	21.3	126,831,714	18,491	14.6	26,658,669	5,047	18.9
2006	52,306,908	1,430	2.7	29,772,198	5,159	17.3	61,527,219	13,142	21.4	128,907,361	18,233	14.1	26,884,798	4,636	17.2
2007	52,585,809	1,269	2.4	29,775,943	4,981	16.7	61,623,322	12,531	20.3	130,500,566	17,725	13.6	27,135,517	4,631	17.1
2008	52,929,779	1,047	2.0	29,710,307	4,070	13.7	61,990,546	11,406	18.4	131,908,058	16,538	12.5	27,521,034	4,291	15.6
2009	53,753,412	1,066	2.0	29,667,279	3,480	11.7	63,105,881	9,940	15.8	132,693,708	15,340	11.6	27,786,270	3,995	14.4
2010	52,937,278	962	1.8	30,247,014	3,121	10.3	62,914,600	9,684	15.4	135,270,594	15,015	11.1	27,957,657	4,171	14.9
2011	52,921,253	908	1.7	29,917,216	3,033	10.1	63,965,818	9,633	15.1	136,306,915	14,782	10.8	28,472,279	4,071	14.3
2012	52,855,061	958	1.8	29,646,417	2,837	9.6	64,900,433	10,210	15.7	137,323,658	15,614	11.4	29,152,093	4,113	14.1
2013	52,719,631	940	1.8	29,551,607	2,543	8.6	65,681,251	9,908	15.1	138,067,096	15,298	11.1	30,040,362	4,150	13.8
2014	52,676,380	875	1.7	29,462,818	2,630	8.9	66,367,803	9,879	14.9	139,015,319	15,073	10.8	30,864,009	4,206	13.6
2015	52,764,080	946	1.8	29,356,330	2,747	9.4	66,762,737	10,608	15.9	140,231,069	16,677	11.9	31,624,778	4,427	14.0
2016	52,811,215	1,033	2.0	29,350,222	2,837	9.7	67,142,780	11,368	16.9	141,361,052	17,601	12.5	32,406,486	4,848	15.0
2017	52,726,410	949	1.8	29,387,954	2,762	9.4	67,381,469	10,932	16.2	141,662,252	17,670	12.5	33,964,043	5,037	14.8
2018	52,553,599	890	1.7	29,402,794	2,496	8.5	67,504,170	10,761	15.9	142,087,330	17,585	12.4	35,290,306	5,026	14.2
2019	52,266,740	855	1.6	29,412,828	2,394	8.1	67,647,658	10,259	15.2	142,410,359	17,558	12.3	36,592,368	5,232	14.3
2020	51,887,147	850	1.6	29,367,208	2,767	9.4	67,664,401	11,906	17.6	142,779,669	18,724	13.1	37,785,698	4,593	12.2
2021	51,691,096	922	1.8	30,440,240	3,058	10.0	67,019,102	12,731	19.0	145,289,674	20,790	14.3	37,453,633	5,209	13.9

Seat belt use

According to a national daytime observational survey of motorists, seat belt use among front seat occupants was 90.4 percent in 2021. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2022). Occupant restraint use in 2021: Results from the NOPUS controlled intersection study (Report No. DOT HS 813 344). U.S. Department of Transportation.Unrestrained vehicle occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured in a crash, so belt use is much lower among fatally injured occupants. Among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants age 13 and older in 2021, 45 percent of drivers and 43 percent of passengers were belted. These rates represent a 38 percent increase for drivers and a 47 percent increase for passengers compared with 1995, when only 33 percent of fatally injured drivers and 29 percent of fatally injured passengers were belted.

Seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older by seating position, 1995-2021
Year	Driver						Passenger
	Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown		Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1995	6,974	33	12,692	59	1,772	8	2,642	29	5,577	62	791	9
1996	7,368	34	12,331	57	1,919	9	2,750	30	5,706	62	807	9
1997	7,561	35	12,288	57	1,847	9	2,867	31	5,497	60	810	9
1998	7,797	36	12,033	56	1,786	8	2,814	32	5,169	59	725	8
1999	7,834	36	12,252	56	1,793	8	2,748	32	5,249	60	700	8
2000	8,199	38	11,841	54	1,754	8	2,957	33	5,212	58	744	8
2001	8,509	39	11,638	53	1,700	8	2,844	32	5,178	59	737	8
2002	8,786	39	12,028	53	1,705	8	3,151	35	5,093	57	687	8
2003	9,239	42	11,274	51	1,666	8	3,127	36	4,851	55	773	9
2004	9,456	43	11,027	50	1,450	7	3,132	37	4,768	56	622	7
2005	9,315	42	11,133	51	1,489	7	3,122	38	4,551	55	634	8
2006	9,162	42	10,874	50	1,532	7	2,964	38	4,250	54	678	9
2007	8,915	43	10,070	49	1,537	7	2,902	38	4,007	53	681	9
2008	7,794	43	9,160	50	1,301	7	2,536	39	3,495	54	473	7
2009	7,421	44	8,199	49	1,207	7	2,366	40	3,031	52	449	8
2010	7,307	46	7,497	47	1,215	8	2,285	41	2,872	51	457	8
2011	7,047	45	7,356	47	1,147	7	2,055	40	2,650	52	432	8
2012	7,234	45	7,505	47	1,166	7	2,158	41	2,665	50	461	9
2013	7,324	47	6,988	45	1,261	8	2,166	43	2,439	48	471	9
2014	7,410	48	6,906	45	1,170	8	2,182	44	2,309	46	477	10
2015	8,026	48	7,289	44	1,305	8	2,344	44	2,473	46	557	10
2016	8,486	48	7,721	44	1,425	8	2,442	44	2,562	46	514	9
2017	8,670	49	7,603	43	1,466	8	2,463	46	2,339	44	563	10
2018	8,435	49	7,399	43	1,418	8	2,272	45	2,320	45	507	10
2019	8,357	50	7,108	42	1,404	8	2,227	45	2,261	45	513	10
2020	8,099	44	8,376	46	1,807	10	2,129	42	2,401	47	600	12
2021	9,063	45	9,169	45	1,996	10	2,385	43	2,499	45	637	12

In 2021, the highest number (15,328) of fatality injured occupants were involved in frontal impacts, and among these individuals, less than half (44 percent) were belted. More than half of fatally injured occupants in side and rear crashes were belted. In other crashes, mostly involving rollovers, only 24 percent of fatality injured occupants were belted.

Seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older by crash type, 2021
Initial Contact Point	Restraint used
	Belted		Unbelted		Total*
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Front	6,708	44	7,037	46	15,328	100
Side	3,038	54	2,058	37	5,636	100
Rear	727	55	442	33	1,322	100
Other (mostly rollover)	538	24	1,506	68	2,214	100
Total*	11,448	44	11,703	45	25,788	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Speeding

In 2021, speeding was a factor in 29 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths. Speeding has been a factor in more than a quarter of crash deaths over the past decade. Speeding is defined to include crashes in which the driver was issued a traffic citation for speeding or in which driver-related factors included driving too fast for conditions, racing or exceeding the posted speed limit.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor, 2012-2021
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number
2012	10,329	31	23,453	69	33,782
2013	9,696	29	23,198	71	32,894
2014	9,283	28	23,461	72	32,744
2015	9,723	27	25,762	73	35,485
2016	10,291	27	27,515	73	37,806
2017	9,947	27	27,526	73	37,473
2018	9,579	26	27,256	74	36,835
2019	9,592	26	26,763	74	36,355
2020	11,428	29	27,579	71	39,007
2021	12,330	29	30,609	71	42,939

In 2021, the percentage of crash deaths involving speeding was higher on minor roads (33 percent) than on interstates and freeways (29 percent) or on other major roads (26 percent).

Crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor by road type, 2021
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number
Interstates and freeways	2,240	29	5,371	71	7,611
Other major roads	5,800	26	16,430	74	22,230
Minor roads	4,220	33	8,610	67	12,830
All road types*	12,330	29	30,609	71	42,939
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Of the 12,330 speeding-related fatalities that occurred in 2021, about half (53 percent) occurred on roads with speed limits lower than 55 mph.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding as a contributing factor by speed limit, 2021
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
≤35 mph	3,075	25	5,756	19	8,831	21
40-50 mph	3,496	28	8,311	27	11,807	27
55+ mph	5,259	43	14,959	49	20,218	47
Total*	12,330	100	30,609	100	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Distraction

A total of 3,349 drivers in fatal crashes that occurred in 2021 were categorized as distracted. Of these, the most common distraction was “generally distracted or lost in thought (daydreaming)” at 65 percent of distracted drivers. These figures are likely underestimates, given that it is often impossible to verify that a distraction was present at the time of a crash.

Distracted drivers in fatal crashes during 2021, by distraction type
Distraction type	Number	%
Generally distracted or "lost in thought" (daydreaming)	2,163	65
Cellphone use (talking, listening, dialing, texting)	382	11
Outside person, object or event, such as rubbernecking	267	8
Other distraction, not specified	110	3
Other occupants (talking with or looking at other people in car)	151	5
Using or reaching for device brought into vehicle, such as navigational device, headphones	117	3
Eating or drinking	42	1
Adjusting audio or climate controls	43	1
Using other device/controls integral to vehicle, such as adjusting rear view mirrors, seats, or using OEM navigation system	75	2
Moving object in vehicle, such as pet or insect	13	<1
Smoking related (includes smoking, lighting up, putting ashes in ashtray)	7	<1
All distracted drivers	3,349	100
Some drivers were coded as engaged in multiple distractions, so the sum of the rows exceeds the total number of distracted drivers.

When they died

In 2021, February had the fewest crash deaths and October had the most.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by month, 2021
Month	Deaths	%
January	3,099	7
February	2,561	6
March	3,214	7
April	3,557	8
May	3,768	9
June	3,789	9
July	3,879	9
August	4,013	9
September	3,861	9
October	4,101	10
November	3,599	8
December	3,498	8
Total	42,939	100

In 2021, about half of crash deaths occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by day of week, 2021
Day of week	Deaths	%
Sunday	6,801	16
Monday	5,579	13
Tuesday	5,219	12
Wednesday	5,265	12
Thursday	5,738	13
Friday	6,941	16
Saturday	7,396	17
Total	42,939	100

In 2021, one of every three crash deaths occurred between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by time of day, 2021
Time of day	Deaths	%
Midnight - 3 a.m.	5,075	12
3 a.m. - 6 a.m.	3,629	8
6 a.m. - 9 a.m.	3,940	9
9 a.m. - noon	3,794	9
Noon - 3 p.m.	5,283	12
3 p.m. - 6 p.m.	6,545	15
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.	7,519	18
9 p.m. - midnight	6,827	16
Total*	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Independence Day (July 4) typically is one of the days of the year with the most motor vehicle crash deaths. Weast, R. (2018). Temporal factors in motor-vehicle crashes: Ten years later. Journal of Safety Research, 65, 125-131.

Days of year with most motor vehicle crash deaths, 2017-2021
Date	Total deaths, 2017-2021	Yearly average
July 4	724	145
August 4	649	130
July 3	648	130
June 30	643	129
September 3	642	128