NHTSA FARS · national through 2023 · extract August 9, 2026
US road fatality statistics
Key findings compiled live from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Every figure below is computed from the PlainRoadSafety database at request time; nothing is typed in by hand. These are census counts of fatal crashes, not safety advice.
- 40,901
- 2023 fatalities
- 51
- Jurisdictions
- 3,137
- County rows
Key findings
Standalone, citable statements from the linked FARS extract. Free to reuse with attribution to PlainRoadSafety (CC BY 4.0; cite the page).
- 40,901 person-fatalities were recorded in the 2023 FARS census, across 37,654 fatal crashes. FARS counts deaths within 30 days of a crash on a public road. It is a census of fatal crashes, not a danger score or a trip-risk prediction.
- 349,812 person-fatalities sit in the 2015-2023 state extract covering 51 jurisdictions (50 states plus the District of Columbia). The 2023 state totals sum to 40,901, matching the national yearly table.
- 43,510 was the national yearly peak (2005). 2023's 40,901 is 1,820 below 2022 (42,721) and still above 2015 (35,484).
- 4,291 fatalities were recorded in Texas in 2023, the largest state raw count (California 4,061; Florida 3,396). Raw volume tracks population and miles driven; it is not a per-capita or per-VMT rank.
- 7,685 of 40,901 2023 fatalities (18.8%) carried an alcohol-impaired flag. Cause flags overlap: a crash can count in alcohol and speeding at once, so shares do not add to 100%.
- 7,314 of 40,901 2023 fatalities (17.9%) were pedestrians. That is a person-type count in the FARS census, not a walking-risk rate.
- 23,921 2023 fatalities were coded urban and 16,656 rural (324 neither). Urban volume is larger; rural roads often show higher per-VMT rates on the state boards. Rural/urban follows NHTSA coding, which can differ from Census urban-area lines.
- 3,137 counties are in the extract; 2,843 recorded at least one 2023 fatality. County year windows are not uniform (2,696 of 3,137 span 2016-2023). County per-capita rates on this site use a 10,000-resident floor.
Largest 2023 state fatality counts
Raw person-fatality counts for 2023, not per-capita or per-VMT ranks. A large state can lead the volume table while sitting mid-pack on rate.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Annual FARS census, state rollup · 2023
Rate boards: highest per-100k · lowest per-100k.
How to read these numbers
FARS is a census of fatal motor-vehicle crashes on public roads, not a sample and not a non-fatal injury file. Cause categories (alcohol, speeding, unrestrained, weather, pedestrian) are overlapping flags from the crash record; they are not a single primary-cause pie. County year windows vary, and county per-capita rates use Census PEP Vintage 2023 population with a 10,000-resident floor. The extract was last upgraded August 9, 2026; the newest certified FARS year on this site is 2023. Methods: methodology.
Download the state-level snapshot: FARS state fatality statistics CSV (CC BY 4.0).
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. National yearly totals and state 2023 sums are the same 40,901 person-fatalities. Cause shares overlap and do not add to 100%. See our Editorial & Corrections Policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or Report a correction. Data current as of 2023 FARS; extract August 9, 2026.