Car crashes affect everyone—drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and motorcyclists—and their toll is shaped by road conditions, behavior, and enforcement. Using recent national data, this page explores how fatality patterns shift over time. It also connects major contributing factors—like alcohol impairment, high BAC levels, and speeding—to the risks and outcomes seen in the United States.
Key Takeaways
- 6.8% increase in traffic fatalities from 2020 to 2021 in the United States
- 42,915 people died in crashes involving alcohol-impaired driving in the United States in 2022
- 7,485 people died in crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08+ in the United States in 2022
Traffic fatalities rose in 2021, and in 2022 alcohol impaired driving, BAC 0.08 plus, and speeding caused thousands of deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Impact & Fatalities30 stats
01
6.8% increase in traffic fatalities from 2020 to 2021 in the United Stateshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
02
42,915 people died in crashes involving alcohol-impaired driving in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813428
03
7,485 people died in crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08+ in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813428
04
9,717 people died in crashes involving speeding in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
05
54% of passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2022 were unrestrainedhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
06
5,514 people died in crashes involving motorcyclists in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
07
2,835 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
08
6,716 cyclists were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
09
7,522 children (0–14) were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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2,893 teen drivers (15–19) died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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34% of fatalities in 2022 involved a vehicle crash where the driver had a BAC of 0.08+ (alcohol-impaired driving context)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813428
12
58% of people killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022 were in passenger vehicleshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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75% of traffic fatalities in 2022 occurred in crashes on non-interstate roads in the United Stateshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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43% of passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2022 were not wearing seat beltshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
15
1,244 people died in crashes involving large trucks in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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5,936 people died in crashes involving light trucks in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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1,682 people died in crashes involving buses in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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3.8% of traffic fatalities in 2022 involved young drivers (15–20 years old)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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13,717 people died in crashes involving distracted driving in the United States in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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45% of people killed in distraction-related crashes in 2022 were not the person who was distracted (driver distraction context)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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6% of all traffic crashes in 2022 involved distraction, based on reported distraction-related crash criteriahttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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2.7% of drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2022 had a BAC of 0.08+https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813428
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1,327 people died in speeding-related crashes in the United States in 2022 (speeding context)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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10% of drivers in fatal crashes in 2022 were unrestrainedhttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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1.19 million people were killed or injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in 2022 (KABCO aggregate injuries and fatalities)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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14.6% of all injury crashes in 2022 involved alcohol-impaired driving in the United Stateshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813428
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270,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes in the United States in 2022 (injury count context)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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51% of people killed in crashes were occupants in vehicles with seat belts available but not used (unrestrained context)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
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43% of people killed in 2022 traffic crashes were in single-vehicle crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
30
29% of traffic fatalities in 2022 occurred in crashes involving intersections in the United Stateshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813430
Interpretation
Impact & Fatalities Interpretation
For the Impact & Fatalities category, the data show that traffic deaths are not only rising, with a 6.8% increase from 2020 to 2021, but are also heavily concentrated in preventable behaviors, including 42,915 alcohol-impaired driving deaths and 9,717 speeding deaths in 2022.
More related reading
report visual · Comparison
Crash fatalities by contributing factor (United States, 2022)
In 2022, alcohol-impaired driving was the leading factor for crash deaths in the United States, with 42,915 people killed—far exceeding distracted driving and speeding.
42,915 people died in crashes involving alcohol-impaired driving in the United States in 202242,915
13,717 people died in crashes involving distracted driving in the United States in 2022
13,717
9,717 people died in crashes involving speeding in the United States in 2022
9,717
source-verifiedcrashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Car Crashes Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-crashes-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Car Crashes Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/car-crashes-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Car Crashes Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/car-crashes-statistics.
Sources & references
2 datasets cited across this report