Car Accident Statistics: How Often Crashes Happen, Causes & Latest US Data

A car accident happens somewhere in the US every 5.3 seconds— roughly 16,700 crashes a day, or 6.1 million police- reported crashes a year. This report breaks down the latest car accident statistics by frequency, cause, time of day, and vehicle type, sourced from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the National Safety Council, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and the CDC.

How many car crashes a year happen in the US?

The US averages 6.1 million police-reported car accidents per year, according to NHTSA's most recent Traffic Safety Facts release. About 39,000 of those crashes are fatal (involving at least one death), 1.9 million result in non-fatal injuries, and the remaining ~4.2 million are property-damage-only. Total annual crash count has stayed in the 6.0–6.4 million range for the past decade, despite a roughly 15% increase in vehicle miles traveled.

How many car crashes a day happen in the US?

Averaged across the year, the US sees roughly 16,700 car crashes every day — about 700 per hour, or roughly12 crashes every minute. About 107 of those daily crashes are fatal, killing an average of 117 people per day. Friday and Saturday are consistently the deadliest days; the lowest crash-day is Tuesday.

How often do car accidents happen?

Across all crash severities, a US car accident happens every 5.3 seconds on average. Broken down by outcome:

• Property-damage-only crashes: one every 7.5 seconds
• Injury crashes: one every 17 seconds
• Fatal crashes: one every 13 minutes
• Traffic deaths: one every 12 minutes
• Drunk-driving deaths: one every 39 minutes
• Distracted-driving deaths: one every 2 hours 39 minutes

How many people die from car accidents each year?

42,795 people died in US car accidents in 2022 — the most recent full year of NHTSA FARS data. That's an average of 117 deaths a day. The pandemic-era spike (2020–2021) added about 7,000 deaths a year above the pre-2020 baseline of ~36,000, and annual fatalities have only just begun to retreat. The US is still 60% above its all-time low of 32,479 deaths (2011) and well above peer countries — Sweden, Japan, and the UK all run at about one-third the US death rate per population.

How many car accident deaths in the US each year by cause?

Of the ~42,800 annual US car accident deaths, the major contributing causes break down roughly as follows (categories overlap — a single fatal crash often involves more than one factor):

What are the leading causes of car accidents?

NHTSA's National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey attributes roughly94% of serious car accidents to driver behavior, not vehicle defects or road conditions. The four recurring killers — speeding, impairment, distraction, and seatbelt non-use — account for the overwhelming majority of preventable car accident deaths each year. The remaining ~6% breaks down to vehicle factors (~2%), environment / road design (~2%), and unknown / other (~2%).

What percentage of car accidents are caused by human error?

Roughly 94% of serious crashes are attributable to driver behavior, per the NHTSA causation survey. Within that, the top driver-behavior subcategories are recognition errors (41% — not seeing/processing hazards in time), decision errors (34% — speeding, illegal maneuvers, false assumptions), performance errors (10% — overcorrection, poor handling), and non-performance errors (7% — falling asleep, medical episode).

How does speeding contribute to car accidents?

Speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all US traffic fatalities in 2022 — about 12,330 deaths. That share has trended upward since 2018 (was 26%). Speeding-related deaths are highest among drivers aged 15–20 (32% of fatal crashes in that bracket are speed-involved) and on rural undivided two-lane roads. Tickets above 100 mph — the "extreme speeding" category — roughly doubled in many states during the pandemic and have not returned to baseline.

How do motorcycle accident statistics compare to car accidents?

Per mile traveled, riding a motorcycle is roughly 24 times more likely to kill you than driving or riding in a passenger car. In 2022, 6,218 motorcyclists died in US crashes — about 14% of all traffic fatalities, despite motorcycles making up only 3% of registered vehicles and accounting for less than 1% of vehicle miles traveled. Motorcyclist fatalities have grown 6 of the past 7 years.

How many self-driving car accidents have happened?

Under NHTSA's Standing General Order on Crash Reporting, automakers have reported more than3,400 Level 2+ crashes involving advanced driver-assist or autonomous systems since June 2021 — with at least 64 cumulative fatalities tied to engaged Level 2+ systems through Q1 2026. Fully driverless (Level 4) robotaxis from Waymo and Zoox have logged 75+ million miles with just three cumulative fatalities, and Waymo reports an 88% reduction in injury crashes vs. the human- driver baseline. For the full breakdown see our Self-Driving Car Statistics report.

What time of day are car accidents most common?

Total crash volume peaks during evening rush hour (3pm–7pm) because more vehicles are on the road. Fatal crashes, however, peak between midnight and 3am on weekends — when alcohol-impaired driving, fatigue, and speeding combine. About 55% of fatal crashes in the midnight-to-3am window involve an alcohol-impaired driver, compared to roughly 17% across all hours.

How does drunk driving compare to other crash causes?

Alcohol-impaired drivers killed 13,524 people in 2022 — 32% of all US traffic deaths, the largest single contributing factor in fatal crashes. The drunk-driving fatality rate has been remarkably stable as a share of total deaths (~30–32%) for the past 15 years despite the rise of ride-share and stricter laws. See our Drunk Driving Statistics report for the deeper breakdown.

How does driver age affect car accident rates?

US car accident statistics follow a U-shaped age curve. Teen drivers (16–19) have the highest per-mile fatal-crash rate at roughly 2.8× the rate of drivers 20 and older. Drivers 75+ have a second risk peak — not because they crash more often, but because frailty drives higher fatality per crash. The safest age bracket per mile driven is consistently 55–64.