STATE FATALITY DATA - 2023
Maryland Road Fatality Data
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Maryland ranks #36 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). 621 traffic deaths in 2023, a rate of 10.0 per 100,000.
- 621
- Deaths (2023)
- 10.0
- Per 100k residents
- 1.1
- Per 100M VMT
- +55
- 2022–2023 deaths
The verdict
According to NHTSA FARS, Maryland ranks #36 of 51 states by fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first). At 10.0 per 100k vs a U.S. rate of 12.2, it sits 18% below the national benchmark, with nighttime the largest contributing factor.
- #36 of 51
- among US states by rate
- 10.0/100k
- 2023 fatality rate
- 18% below
- vs U.S. average
- Nighttime
- leading contributing factor
FARS state milepost
Milepost MD · Maryland #36 of 51 · 10.0/100k
Maryland · 10.0/100k · 621 in 2023 · #36 of 51
- RATE 10.0/100k
- RANK #36 of 51
- VMT 1.1/100M
- BOOK 4,970 book
- ALC near Illinois
- SPD 27.8% spd
- PED 22.7% ped
- RUR -18.1% 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 →
Maryland rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest-rate peer states (NHTSA FARS).
- Maine
Maine
10 per 100k
- Illinois
Illinois
10 per 100k
- Wisconsin
Wisconsin
10 per 100k
- Maryland
Maryland
10 per 100k
- California
California
10 per 100k
- Washington
Washington
10 per 100k
What this shows Maryland sits among the five nearest fatality-rate peers on the per-100k scale.
Leading Causes of Fatalities
Contributing factors in Maryland road deaths (2015-2023). Categories overlap.
- Nighttime
Nighttime
54 % of fatalities
- Unrestrained
Unrestrained
31 % of fatalities
- Speeding
Speeding
28 % of fatalities
- Alcohol-Impaired
Alcohol-Impaired
25 % of fatalities
- Pedestrian
Pedestrian
23 % of fatalities
- Weather-Related 21
Weather-Related
21 % of fatalities
What this shows Nighttime is the top contributing cause in Maryland, involved in 53.8% of all road deaths. Note: categories overlap as a single crash may involve multiple factors.
Maryland vs all states by fatality rate
Where this state's deaths-per-100k sits among every state and D.C. on PlainRoadSafety
10 Lower than most a lower per-capita rate than 69% 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 Maryland increased by 19.4%, going from 520 to 621 annual deaths.
| Year | Fatalities | Rate | Alcohol | Speeding | Pedestrian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 520 | 8.4 | 167 | 124 | 97 |
| 2016 | 522 | 8.4 | 129 | 130 | 108 |
| 2017 | 558 | 9.0 | 172 | 159 | 117 |
| 2018 | 512 | 8.3 | 136 | 128 | 131 |
| 2019 | 535 | 8.7 | 161 | 141 | 124 |
| 2020 | 573 | 9.3 | 171 | 169 | 134 |
| 2021 | 563 | 9.1 | 93 | 170 | 129 |
| 2022 | 566 | 9.2 | 110 | 176 | 129 |
| 2023 | 621 | 10.0 | 87 | 184 | 160 |
Deadliest Counties in Maryland
24 counties ranked by total fatalities over the 2015-2023 reporting period.
| # | County | Total Fatalities | Latest Year | Avg Annual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRINCE GEORGE`S (33) | 893 | 140 | 99.2 | ↑ increasing |
| 2 | BALTIMORE (5) | 571 | 92 | 63.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 3 | BALTIMORE (CITY) (510) | 388 | 46 | 43.1 | ↑ increasing |
| 4 | ANNE ARUNDEL (3) | 365 | 44 | 40.6 | ↑ increasing |
| 5 | MONTGOMERY (31) | 330 | 45 | 36.7 | ↑ increasing |
| 6 | HOWARD (27) | 197 | 23 | 21.9 | ↑ increasing |
| 7 | CHARLES (17) | 194 | 21 | 21.6 | ↔ stable |
| 8 | FREDERICK (21) | 193 | 33 | 21.4 | ↑ increasing |
| 9 | CECIL (15) | 178 | 26 | 19.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 10 | HARFORD (25) | 155 | 24 | 17.2 | ↑ increasing |
| 11 | WASHINGTON (43) | 135 | 18 | 15.0 | ↑ increasing |
| 12 | ST. MARY`S (37) | 117 | 14 | 13.0 | ↑ increasing |
| 13 | CARROLL (13) | 115 | 12 | 12.8 | ↓ decreasing |
| 14 | WICOMICO (45) | 95 | 13 | 10.6 | ↑ increasing |
| 15 | WORCESTER (47) | 93 | 7 | 10.3 | ↑ increasing |
| 16 | CALVERT (9) | 70 | 10 | 7.8 | ↑ increasing |
| 17 | ALLEGANY (1) | 60 | 10 | 6.7 | ↑ increasing |
| 18 | CAROLINE (11) | 59 | 12 | 6.6 | ↑ increasing |
| 19 | QUEEN ANNE`S (35) | 55 | 11 | 6.1 | ↓ decreasing |
| 20 | GARRETT (23) | 54 | 5 | 6.0 | ↑ increasing |
Showing top 20 of 24 counties by total fatalities.
States With Similar Fatality Rates
States with fatality rates closest to Maryland's 10.0 per 100K.
6 of 50 other states are shown here, ranked by closeness to Maryland'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, Maryland 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.