STATE FATALITY DATA - 2023
Delaware Road Fatality Data
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Delaware ranks #24 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). 135 traffic deaths in 2023, a rate of 13.1 per 100,000.
- 135
- Deaths (2023)
- 13.1
- Per 100k residents
- 1.4
- Per 100M VMT
- -27
- 2022–2023 deaths
The verdict
According to NHTSA FARS, Delaware ranks #24 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). At 13.1 per 100k vs a U.S. rate of 12.2, it sits 7% above the national benchmark, with nighttime the largest contributing factor.
- #24 of 51
- among US states by rate
- 13.1/100k
- 2023 fatality rate
- 7% above
- vs U.S. average
- Nighttime
- leading contributing factor
NHTSA fatality milepost
Milepost DE · Delaware #24 of 51 · 13.1/100k
Delaware · 13.1/100k · 135 in 2023 · #24 of 51
- MILE 13.1/100k
- BAND #24 of 51
- POST 1.4/100M
- RATE 1,161 book
- RANK near Indiana
- VMT 27.0% spd
- BOOK 22.7% ped
- ALC +7.3% vs US
Stamps derive from this state's NHTSA FARS row (per-100k rate, corpus rank, VMT rate, fatality book, nearest-rate peer, alcohol/speeding/pedestrian shares, vs-national gap), not a trip-risk forecast. PlainRoadSafety is informational only. See our disclaimer. Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Read with methodology → · Understanding road fatality data → · States ranked →
Delaware rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest-rate peer states (NHTSA FARS).
- Colorado
Colorado
12 per 100k
- Delaware
Delaware
13 per 100k
- Indiana
Indiana
13 per 100k
- Kansas
Kansas
13 per 100k
- North Dakota
North Dakota
14 per 100k
- Oregon
Oregon
14 per 100k
What this shows Delaware sits among the five nearest fatality-rate peers on the per-100k scale.
Leading Causes of Fatalities
Contributing factors in Delaware road deaths (2015-2023). Categories overlap.
- Nighttime
Nighttime
53 % of fatalities
- Unrestrained
Unrestrained
34 % of fatalities
- Weather-Related
Weather-Related
27 % of fatalities
- Speeding
Speeding
27 % of fatalities
- Alcohol-Impaired
Alcohol-Impaired
25 % of fatalities
- Pedestrian
Pedestrian
23 % of fatalities
What this shows Nighttime is the top contributing cause in Delaware, involved in 53.1% of all road deaths. Note: categories overlap as a single crash may involve multiple factors.
Delaware vs all states by fatality rate
Where this state's deaths-per-100k sits among every state and D.C. on PlainRoadSafety
13 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 45% of 51 states
States and D.C., banded by fatality rate per 100,000 residents
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source NHTSA FARS over Census population · 2026-08-09
Fatality Trend Analysis (2015–2023)
Between 2015 and 2023, road fatalities in Delaware increased by 3.1%, going from 131 to 135 annual deaths.
| Year | Fatalities | Rate | Alcohol | Speeding | Pedestrian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 131 | 12.7 | 37 | 29 | 36 |
| 2016 | 119 | 11.5 | 38 | 32 | 27 |
| 2017 | 119 | 11.5 | 28 | 32 | 33 |
| 2018 | 111 | 10.8 | 28 | 33 | 23 |
| 2019 | 132 | 12.8 | 28 | 35 | 32 |
| 2020 | 116 | 11.2 | 27 | 32 | 25 |
| 2021 | 136 | 13.2 | 27 | 44 | 29 |
| 2022 | 162 | 15.7 | 43 | 46 | 31 |
| 2023 | 135 | 13.1 | 38 | 31 | 27 |
Deadliest Counties in Delaware
3 counties ranked by total fatalities over the 2015-2023 reporting period.
| # | County | Total Fatalities | Latest Year | Avg Annual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEW CASTLE (3) | 499 | 59 | 55.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 2 | SUSSEX (5) | 313 | 44 | 34.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 3 | KENT (1) | 218 | 32 | 24.2 | ↑ increasing |
States With Similar Fatality Rates
States with fatality rates closest to Delaware's 13.1 per 100K.
6 of 50 other states are shown here, ranked by closeness to Delaware's fatality rate.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Delaware state-level fatalities · 2023 FARS includes all fatal motor vehicle crashes in U.S. public roadways. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) sourced from FHWA Highway Statistics.
Source and method. PlainRoadSafety is rendered directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). PlainRoadSafety aggregates published FARS records and does not invent a fatality count the census does not report. State figures are computed directly from NHTSA FARS census data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our Editorial & Corrections Policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or Report a correction. Data current as of October 2024.