STATE FATALITY DATA - 2023

District of Columbia: lower-rate fatality band

District of Columbia is in the lower per-capita third: 44 traffic deaths in 2023 at 6.5 per 100,000 (#46 of 51).

44
Deaths (2023)
6.5
Per 100k residents
Below average
1.3
Per 100M VMT
+12
2022–2023 deaths

Smaller fatality book

District of Columbia ranks #51 of 51 by total FARS fatalities (288 across 2015-2023) - bottom-third book size.

District of Columbia in the lower-rate third

According to NHTSA FARS, District of Columbia sits in the lower-rate third at 6.5 per 100k (#46 of 51), 47% below the U.S. 12.2 benchmark, with nighttime the largest contributing factor.

#46 of 51
lower-rate third
6.5/100k
2023 fatality rate
#51/51
by total FARS fatalities
Nighttime
leading contributing factor

NHTSA FARS milepost

Milepost DC · District of Columbia #46 of 51 · 6.5/100k

District of Columbia · 6.5/100k · 44 in 2023 · #46 of 51

  • BOOK 6.5/100k
  • ALC #46 of 51
  • SPD 1.3/100M
  • PED 288 book
  • RUR near Hawaii
  • VS-US 45.5% spd
  • PHOTO 38.2% ped
  • YOY -46.8% 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 →

D
Road Safety Index
47/100
District of Columbia

Benchmarked against all 51 states (50 states + DC) on fatality rate, exposure-adjusted rate, pedestrian and impaired-driving fatality share, and safety trend from NHTSA FARS, US Census Bureau, and FHWA sources, not enforcement, infrastructure spend, or road-condition ratings.

Fatality Rate A+
6.5/100k
Fatalities per 100,000 residents (NHTSA FARS + Census PEP population)
Exposure-Adjusted Rate C-
1.26/100M VMT
Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (NHTSA FARS + FHWA Highway Statistics)
Pedestrian Safety F
38.2%
Share of fatalities that were pedestrians (NHTSA FARS)
Impaired-Driving Control D
25.7%
Share of fatalities that were alcohol-impaired (NHTSA FARS)
Safety Trend F
+91.3%
Change in fatalities over the reporting period; negative is declining (NHTSA FARS)

Pedestrian-led roadside pattern in District of Columbia

After vehicle-to-vehicle crashes, District of Columbia's 2023 FARS first-harm leader is Pedestrian at 29.5%, a pedestrian-forward pattern relative to fixed-object states. Counts come from the NHTSA FARS accident microdata for 2023 (first harmful event, weather, light, route, and rural/urban setting), not from the seeded state rollup alone.

First harmful event

  • Motor Vehicle In-Transport 34.1% · 15
  • Pedestrian 29.5% · 13
  • Curb 6.8% · 3
  • Immersion or Partial Immersion 6.8% · 3
  • Pedalcyclist 6.8% · 3

Light condition

  • Dark - Lighted 65.9% · 29
  • Daylight 25.0% · 11
  • Dark - Not Lighted 2.3% · 1
  • Dark - Unknown Lighting 2.3% · 1
  • Dusk 2.3% · 1

Roadway class

  • Not Signed 72.7% · 32
  • Interstate 11.4% · 5
  • Unknown/Not Reported 9.1% · 4
  • U.S. Highway 6.8% · 3

Weather at crash

  • Clear 95.5% · 42
  • Cloudy 2.3% · 1

District of Columbia rate neighbourhood

Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest-rate peer states (NHTSA FARS).

per 100k

What this shows District of Columbia sits among the five nearest fatality-rate peers on the per-100k scale.

Source NHTSA FARS As of 2023

Leading Causes of Fatalities

Contributing factors in District of Columbia road deaths (2015-2023). Categories overlap.

% of fatalities

What this shows Nighttime is the top contributing cause in District of Columbia, involved in 66.0% of all road deaths. Note: categories overlap as a single crash may involve multiple factors.

Source NHTSA FARS As of 2023

District of Columbia vs all states by fatality rate

Where this state's deaths-per-100k sits among every state and D.C. on PlainRoadSafety

7 Among the safer states a lower per-capita rate than 88% 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 · 2026-09-03

District of Columbia plotted against a representative sample of 26 of 51 states and D.C. by deaths per 100,000 residents (x) and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (y). Dashed lines mark the national median across all 51, computed from the full corpus. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 26 entities by Deaths per 100,000 residents (X) and Deaths per 100M vehicle miles (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High both waysRiskier per mile drivenRiskier per residentSafer, both measures 051015202530 00.511.52 Deaths per 100,000 residents Deaths per 100M vehicle miles District of Columbia: per capita vs. per mile driven
District of Columbia plotted against a representative sample of 26 of 51 states and D.C. by deaths per 100,000 residents (x) and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (y). Dashed lines mark the national median across all 51, computed from the full corpus.

District of Columbia can rank differently on each axis: population density pushes the per-capita rate one way, and rural-highway commute length pushes the per-mile rate another. Hover or tap any point (including District of Columbia's own, highlighted) for its exact figures.

Fatality Trend Analysis (2015–2023)

In the lower-rate third, District of Columbia moved from 23 deaths in 2015 to 44 in 2023 (+91.3%).

Year Fatalities Rate Alcohol Speeding Pedestrian
2015 23 3.4 5 7 13
2016 27 4.0 10 16 8
2017 31 4.6 14 17 11
2018 31 4.6 5 15 11
2019 23 3.4 4 13 9
2020 36 5.3 10 16 10
2021 41 6.0 8 19 18
2022 32 4.7 9 13 16
2023 44 6.5 9 15 14

District Of Columbia leads District of Columbia's county fatality book

District Of Columbia County alone accounts for 100.0% of District of Columbia's 265 FARS fatalities over 2015-2023 (265 deaths).

#CountyTotal FatalitiesTrend
1DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (1)265↑ increasing

States With Similar Fatality Rates

Among lower-rate peers, Hawaii (6.5/100k) and New Jersey (6.5/100k) bracket District of Columbia's 6.5 per 100k.

6 of 50 other states are shown here, ranked by closeness to District of Columbia's fatality rate.

Hawaii

6.5 per 100K

93 fatalities (2023)

New Jersey

6.5 per 100K

606 fatalities (2023)

Rhode Island

6.5 per 100K

71 fatalities (2023)

Minnesota

7.1 per 100K

409 fatalities (2023)

New York

5.7 per 100K

1,114 fatalities (2023)

Massachusetts

4.9 per 100K

343 fatalities (2023)

District Of Columbia County and related District of Columbia road data

Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from official public datasets for District of Columbia (#46 of 51; volume #51/51). See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainRoadSafety · vintage 2026-09-03

Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Verify with Census →