How Many Car Crashes and Fatalities Happen Each Year? Car Accident Statistics for 2025 | Insurify

While certain factors, such as age, are beyond a driver’s control, people can take steps to drive more safely. Following traffic laws and exercising caution are essential first steps, but nothing can fully eliminate the risk of an accident. To prepare for the unexpected, Insurify helps drivers compare car insurance rates and coverage options from multiple insurers, making it easier to find the lowest car insurance premium.

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. had 5,930,496 car crashes in 2022, up significantly from pre-COVID levels, according to the NHTSA.

• In the first nine months of 2024, an estimated 29,135 people died in car crashes.

• In 2024, Massachusetts had the highest crash rate (6.07%) of any state, according to Insurify data.

• In 2024, Michigan had the lowest crash rate (1.68%) of any state.

• In 2024, Gen Z had the highest accident rate (6.84%), and baby boomers had the lowest (3.12%).

• In 2024, Lincoln (6.73%), Dodge (6.82%), and Mitsubishi (6.84%) were the car makes with the lowest average accident rates.

The number of car crashes per year in the U.S.

Instances of property damage and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes have risen since COVID, increasing your risk — and thus your need for insurance — when on the road. NHTSA data reveals that while crashes dropped 3% from 2021 to 2022, crashes in 2022 (5,930,496) were up 13% from 2020 (5,251,006).

States with the highest and lowest rates of auto collisions

Each state has unique elements that influence traffic safety, including legislation, funding, and highway safety plans. States create these plans to track federal funding and outline their safety and prevention priorities. Highway safety plans lead each state to develop different strategies and, ultimately, different outcomes.

To better understand auto safety by state, Insurify’s analysts evaluated proprietary collision data from 2023 and 2024. Analysts identified the states with the highest and lowest accident rates, calculated by the number of accidents per the total number of drivers in each state.

Massachusetts had the highest accident rate

Massachusetts had fewer collisions in 2024 than 2023, but it still ranks as No. 1 for the highest crash rate each of those years. Despite the state’s adoption of a hands-free mobile phone law in early 2020 to reduce distracted driving, collisions have increased.[1]

In early 2023, the Massachusetts governor signed House Bill 5103 into law to protect vulnerable road users, like roadside workers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and to establish safer passing practices for both them and other vehicles.

The new law requires drivers to only pass vulnerable users at a safe distance and reasonable speed, and it implements restrictions for passing other vehicles. Drivers must pass other cars at the posted speed limit, and they may cross a yellow line to pass only when it’s safe to do so.

Michigan had the lowest accident rate

Michigan has reigned as the state with the least amount of collisions each year, and it even decreased its number of vehicle accidents from 2023 to 2024. It takes a proactive approach in its statewide Toward Zero Death program to foster road safety, and it shows.

Adopting the Safe System Approach as a tool, the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan dedicates much to road improvements.[2] The plan highlights areas of concern, such as seat-belt use and distracted or impaired driving, and underscores Michigan’s commitment to increasing road safety by improving roads.

In an attempt to mitigate the frequency and severity of future crashes, the state has installed rumble strips, created wider shoulders, added flashing beacons, and implemented other road safety features.

New York had the largest increase in its accident rate

New York is one of only two states with an increase in collisions from 2023 to 2024, rising by 10%. In contrast, Vermont’s increase was just 2%

New York recognizes this trend in a 2024 report by the New York state comptroller, which highlights the state’s modest 17% success rate in meeting federal performance measures. In the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019, New York had been meeting the majority of the established core targets.

In addition to federal initiatives, such as the National Roadway Safety Strategy launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), New York has implemented its own measures to improve road safety.

The state enacted Sammy’s Law to give New York City the ability to utilize calming zones to help reduce speed. In these slow zones, the city can reduce the speed limit from 25 to 20 mph and from 15 to 10 mph.

New York also enacted a Congestion Pricing Program in January 2025, and motorists must now pay a fee to drive into the congested midtown Manhattan area. This law aims to reduce congestion by deterring people from driving in the city during busy traffic times. Less congestion could curb the number of future collisions, increase revenue from public transportation, and result in cleaner air.

In 2022, the state passed legislation to lower minimum speed limits in villages and towns by 5 mph.[3] It also has focused on vulnerable road users by requiring mandatory bicycle and pedestrian awareness training for anyone seeking a new driver’s license.

Wisconsin had the largest decrease in its accident rate

Wisconsin saw the biggest decrease in overall collisions, down 34% from 2023. The state’s current Strategic Highway Safety Plan touts a strong, structured form of local participation, reflecting the state’s partnership with counties to promote a culture of road safety.[4]

Fewer winter snowstorms and increased funding for impaired driving enforcement have contributed to the decline in motor vehicle crash deaths, according to the Wausau Police Department. The department also noted the significance of drivers wearing their seat belts.

South Dakota ranks No. 2, having decreased by 30% from 2023, and, like Michigan, has adopted the Safe System Approach. In doing so, the state noted in its Strategic Highway Safety Plan that a 38-day period from 2023 to 2024 saw zero traffic fatalities, even though the time frame encompassed both Christmas and New Year holidays.

Car crashes by age and gender

Age and gender are risk factors in driving. Motorists between the ages of 16 and 19 are most at risk of being involved in a car crash.[5] Drivers younger than 25 have higher insurance rates due to this increased accident risk.

When it comes to gender, males in all age groups have a higher risk of being in a fatal crash than females. To explore these trends further, Insurify analyzed its data alongside the latest NHTSA data.

Age groups with the most car crashes per year

Of all licensed drivers, young, inexperienced drivers, especially those who just got their licenses, have a higher risk of being in a crash than any other age group. Insurify’s data highlights that point. Gen Z was in the most collisions in 2023 and 2024.

Teen drivers tend to lack the ability to identify dangerous circumstances while driving and are more likely than other age groups to make critical errors on the road, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They wear seat belts inconsistently and participate in other risky behaviors, such as speeding and using their cell phones while driving.

Drivers who are 70 and older typically have higher fatality rates from collisions than their middle-aged counterparts. But Insurify’s data reveals that baby boomers saw an overall decrease in the number of total collisions from 2023 to 2024. While Gen X got into the fewest accidents in 2023, baby boomers had the least collisions in 2024.

Gender involved in the most car crashes per year

Men don’t just have a higher risk of crashes than women — their risk of being in a fatal crash is substantially higher.[6] Many states have higher insurance costs for men than for women.

Additionally, the latest NHTSA data shows that women are involved in fewer car crashes than men, including those resulting in deaths, personal injury, and property damage.

In 2022, 43,582 men were drivers in fatal crashes, which is nearly three times the number of women (14,719). The margin between men and women closes slightly when it comes to total overall crashes and those with injuries or property damage. Nearly 1.4 times the number of men compared to women were involved in these collisions in 2022.

Fatal car accidents per year in the U.S.

The cost of car crashes includes rising insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for repairs, but the ultimate price is your life. Using the latest data from the NHTSA, it appears that the number of fatal crashes is still high compared to 2020, highlighting the need for caution on the road.

Car collision fatalities due to impairment

Some risk factors you can control no matter when or where you drive. Following the speed limit and avoiding any kind of impairment are the top ways to reduce your chance of a car collision, especially motor vehicle fatalities.

The latest data from the NHTSA reveals that the top reason for fatal crashes in 2022 was driving too fast for conditions (18.5%), while alcohol, drug, and medication impairment accounted for 11% of fatal crashes. Most impairment-related crashes occurred between 6 p.m. and 2:29 a.m. Distracted driving made up 5.2% of fatal crashes, and drowsy driving accounted for 2.1%.

Accident fatalities are still higher than pre-COVID rates

National collision fatalities increased from 36,355 in 2019 to 43,230 by the end of 2021. Although the number then declined by 1.7% from 2021 to 2022 and by 3.6% from 2022 to 2023, the NHTSA still estimates that the number of deaths from auto collisions in 2023 (40,990) exceeded pre-COVID numbers (36,355).

The NHTSA estimates that fatal accidents decreased by 4.4% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the first nine months of 2023. But total fatalities (29,135) in the first nine months of 2024 already exceeded fatalities in all of 2020 (28,423) and years prior.

Fatalities in 2022 numbered 42,514, with the fewest fatalities in the first quarter (9,515), according to data from the NHTSA. Summer, when most people are traveling for vacation or going back to school, is the season with the highest number of fatalities (11,588).

The majority of fatalities in 2022 occurred in the dark, dawn, or dusk (21,236) compared to daylight (17,674). An overwhelming majority of accident deaths, regardless of light conditions, happened during normal weather with no rain, sleet, or snow.

In 2022, 14,132 two-vehicle fatal crashes occurred, with more than 40% of those crashes involving a light truck (5,848). Motorcycles were involved in the next-highest number of fatal crashes (3,260).

Car types involved in the most auto collisions

Passenger vehicles were involved in the most crashes based on the latest NHTSA data, but they’re also the most common type of vehicles on the road. Passenger vehicles as a category can include both passenger cars and light trucks, but the NHTSA also breaks light trucks into a category and further divides them into subcategories of vans, SUVs, and pickups.

The NHTSA defines passenger vehicles as having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less, which includes not only sedans but also SUVs, crossovers, pickups, and vans.

Of all registered vehicles, passenger vehicles accounted for 92% of vehicles on the road in 2022. They also logged the most vehicle miles traveled (VMT) — 88%. When broken into categories, light trucks, including vans, SUVs, and pickups, saw the most crashes in 2022 (43.2%), and passenger cars were involved in 38.1% of crashes.

Light trucks were involved in the most fatal crashes in 2022 (42.7%). They were also the vehicle type most involved in crashes with injuries (42.3%), as well as property damage collisions (43.6%).

When broken down by make, Insurify’s data revealed that Jaguar’s average accident rate rose to 8.24% in 2024 compared to 6.85% in 2023 — the largest average increase of any make. Subaru, typically touted as a safe vehicle, had the second-highest average accident rate for 2024, at 9.44%.

These makes had the lowest average accident rates in 2024:

1. Lincoln (6.73%)

2. Dodge (6.82%)

3. Mitsubishi (6.84%)

4. Mercedes-Benz (6.95%)

5. Cadillac (7%)

Some makes had notable decreases in accidents but still made the top five list of the highest average accident rates across all their models. RAM’s accident average dove from 12.59% in 2023 to 9.88% in 2024, but it still has the highest average accident rate. Jeep also dipped from 10.82% in 2023 to 8.94% in 2024 but ranks as fifth-highest.

Models with the highest accident rates in 2024 are the Kia Soul EV, Mazda Mazdaspeed 3, Chevrolet Bolt EUV, and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Models with the lowest accident rates are the Chevrolet Uplander, Chevrolet Venture, and Ford Windstar.

These are the makes and models with the highest accident rates, per Insurify data.

The day and time the most car crashes per year occur

No day or time of the week is free from the risk of auto accidents, the latest NHTSA data shows. But some days and times are certainly more risky for driving than others.

Insurify’s data scientists compared traffic statistics from the NHTSA for 2021 with the agency’s latest data for 2022 to see what time periods had the greatest risk of collisions.

In 2021, the time period with the highest number of fatalities (1,228) was 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Fridays. The same time period on Saturday was a very close second, with 1,221 motor vehicle fatalities. By contrast, in 2022, the highest number of traffic deaths (1,263) occurred between 9 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Saturdays, followed by Sundays, between midnight and 3 a.m. (1,239 fatal crashes) as the second-deadliest day and time.

For crashes involving minor and serious injuries, the highest number (68,184) in 2021 happened at the end of the work week on Fridays, from 3 p.m. to 5:59 p.m., a time when drivers are eager to get home. In 2022, the same time frame had the highest number of crashes with injuries, but the amount was fewer (65,521) than the previous year.

In 2021, this time period also accounted for the highest number of car accidents involving property damage only (187,259). And 2022 experienced the most crashes with property damage only during this period as well, but with about 12,000 fewer crashes (175,417).

Methodology

Insurify’s data scientists examined more than 97 million auto insurance quotes in its proprietary database to discover accident trends. Statistics on this page are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), government of Massachusetts, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Michigan Department of Transportation, government of Michigan, New York state comptroller, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.