What NHTSA Data Show About Traffic Deaths
Federal crash data shows how many people die on American roads each year and which driver behaviors are involved. The figures below come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and each is labeled with its year. An auto accident lawyer may cite figures like these for background, but statistics describe patterns across many crashes, not what happened in a single one.
Total traffic deaths
According to NHTSA, 39,254 people died in traffic crashes in 2024, for a rate of 1.19 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Its early estimate for 2025 was 36,640 deaths, a 6.7 percent decrease from 2024, and a rate of 1.10 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Early estimates are revised once the year's data is final, so the 2025 number may move.
Speeding and impaired driving
According to NHTSA, 11,288 people died in speeding-related crashes in 2024, and speeding was a contributing factor in 29 percent of all traffic fatalities that year. The agency also reports that 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2024, which the agency describes as one person every 44 minutes. About 30 percent of all traffic fatalities involve drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Even lower levels matter. In 2024, 2,028 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 to .07. Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state except Utah, where the limit is .05.
Distraction and fatigue
NHTSA states that 3,208 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2024. The agency notes that sending or reading a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for 5 seconds, roughly the length of a football field at 55 mph. Drowsy driving is harder to measure. NHTSA estimates that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy drivers, leading to about 50,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths, and it says that figure is widely viewed as an underestimate.
Seat belts
NHTSA reports that 22,713 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in 2024, and nearly half of them, 48 percent, were unrestrained, based on known seat belt use. Seat belt use nationally stood at 91.3 percent in 2025. NHTSA estimates that seat belts saved 14,955 lives in 2017. In some states, not wearing a seat belt can be raised to reduce damages, while other states limit that defense. A car crash attorney will know the rule where the crash happened.
How to read crash data
The categories overlap. A single crash can count as both speeding-related and alcohol-impaired, so the figures should not be added together. NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is a census of fatal crashes, and https://caraccidentlawyers.wiki/reference/georgia-tort-reform/ the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS) is a sample of police-reported crashes. FARS data and the annual Traffic Safety Facts reports come from NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis, and many states publish crash data of their own. Such databases describe crashes but do not decide fault. A car accident attorney relies on each claim's own evidence, starting with the crash report and photos. This article is general information and not legal advice.
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