Traffic fatalities remain a major public-health and transportation problem. Current World Health Organization estimates put annual road deaths at about 1.16 million worldwide, while final U.S. counts show 40,901 motor-vehicle traffic deaths in 2023 and an early estimate of 39,345 in 2024.
Key Traffic Fatality Statistics
The most broadly useful traffic fatality figures are:
- About 1.16 million people die in road traffic crashes each year worldwide, according to the current WHO estimate.
- Between 20 million and 50 million people suffer non-fatal road-traffic injuries each year worldwide, according to WHO.
- About 92% of global road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, based on the current WHO estimate.
- Low- and middle-income countries account for about 60% of the world’s vehicles, in the WHO global comparison.
- Road traffic crashes cost most countries about 3% of GDP, according to a WHO economic-burden estimate.
- Two-thirds of global road-traffic fatalities occur among people aged 18–59, the working-age grouping used by WHO.
- Road traffic injury is the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 5–29, according to WHO’s cause-of-death ranking.
- The United States recorded 42,721 motor-vehicle traffic deaths in 2022, the final NHTSA count.
- The United States recorded 40,901 motor-vehicle traffic deaths in 2023, according to the final NHTSA count.
- U.S. traffic deaths fell 4.3% from 2022 to 2023, based on final NHTSA counts.
- NHTSA estimated 39,345 U.S. traffic fatalities for 2024, an early estimate rather than a final FARS count.
- The U.S. fatality rate fell from 1.34 to 1.26 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled from 2022 to 2023.
- Passenger-vehicle occupant deaths totaled 22,713 in the United States in 2024, according to IIHS.
- Car occupants accounted for 11,769 U.S. deaths in 2024, within the IIHS passenger-vehicle occupant category.
- SUV occupants accounted for 6,648 U.S. deaths in 2024, within the same category.
- For nearly every year from 1975 through 2024, male U.S. motor-vehicle crash deaths exceeded female deaths by more than two to one.
- Seventeen thousand two hundred sixty-eight passenger-vehicle drivers died in the United States in 2024, including 16,087 drivers aged 20 or older.
- A 1% increase in mean speed is associated with a 4% increase in fatal-crash risk, in the WHO evidence summary.
Contents
- Global traffic fatality statistics and economic burden
- U.S. traffic fatality trends and measurement
- Passenger-vehicle fatality data by vehicle type
- Pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist safety context
- Traffic fatality statistics by sex, age and seating position
- Road-safety risk statistics linked to fatal crashes
Global Traffic Fatality Statistics and Economic Burden
WHO’s current global estimate is approximately 1.16 million road-traffic deaths each year. It is a rounded estimate rather than a single-year census, so it should not be treated as an exact count for one calendar year.
The same WHO estimate places annual non-fatal road-traffic injuries between 20 million and 50 million people. The range includes injuries of differing severity and many cases involving disability.
- About 92% of the world’s road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, while those countries account for about 60% of the world’s vehicles.
- Road traffic crashes cost most countries about 3% of gross domestic product. This is an estimated economic burden, not a directly observed charge or loss in every country.
- Two-thirds of global road-traffic fatalities occur among people aged 18–59, the working-age group used by WHO.
- Road traffic injury is the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 worldwide. This is a cause-of-death ranking, not a fatality rate.
Source: Road traffic injuries (World Health Organization). WHO’s global estimates use a different population and definition from the U.S. and IIHS series below.
U.S. Traffic Fatality Trends and Measurement
NHTSA’s final count was 42,721 motor-vehicle traffic deaths on U.S. roads in 2022, followed by 40,901 in 2023. The 2023 total was 1,820 lower than in 2022, a reported year-over-year decline of 4.3%.
| U.S. measure | Period | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor-vehicle traffic deaths | 2022 | 42,721 | Final count |
| Motor-vehicle traffic deaths | 2023 | 40,901 | Final count |
| Traffic fatalities | 2024 | 39,345 | Early estimate |
| Fatality rate | 2022 | 1.34 per 100 million VMT | Final-count year |
| Fatality rate | 2023 | 1.26 per 100 million VMT | Final-count year |
| Fatality rate | 2024 | 1.20 per 100 million VMT | Early estimate |
NHTSA estimated 39,345 traffic fatalities for 2024, about 3.8% below the final 2023 count. The 2024 estimated rate of 1.20 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled was the lowest since 2019, but remained above the pre-COVID seven-year average of 1.13.
Vehicle miles traveled increased 1% in 2024 according to preliminary Federal Highway Administration data cited by NHTSA. The fourth quarter of 2024 marked the 11th consecutive quarterly decrease in traffic fatalities, describing the sequence of quarterly changes rather than the size of each decrease.
For measurement context, FARS is a census of qualifying fatal motor-vehicle traffic crashes in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A qualifying death occurs within 30 days, and the crash must occur on a trafficway customarily open to the public.
Source: NHTSA Estimates 39,345 Traffic Fatalities in 2024. The 2024 figures are early estimates, while the 2023 figures in the release are final.
Passenger-Vehicle Fatality Data by Vehicle Type
IIHS recorded 22,713 passenger-vehicle occupant deaths in the United States in 2024. The category includes 11,769 car occupants, 4,034 pickup occupants and 6,648 SUV occupants.
| Passenger-vehicle category | 2024 occupant deaths | Share in IIHS table |
|---|---|---|
| Cars | 11,769 | 52% |
| Pickups | 4,034 | 18% |
| SUVs | 6,648 | 29% |
| Total passenger-vehicle occupants | 22,713 | 100% |
The percentages are rounded in the source table, and the total includes other or unknown categories. These are occupant deaths, not all people killed in traffic crashes.
Long-run counts show different paths by vehicle type. Car-occupant deaths were 54% lower in 2024 than in 1975, pickup-occupant deaths were 10% higher, and SUV-occupant deaths increased nearly 15-fold; IIHS notes that SUVs were relatively rare in 1975 and later became more popular.
In 2024, single-vehicle crashes accounted for 38% of car-occupant deaths, 54% of pickup-occupant deaths and 44% of SUV-occupant deaths. These are shares among deaths, not shares of all crashes.
Source: Fatality Facts 2024: Passenger vehicle occupants. IIHS passenger-vehicle tables and WHO global estimates should not be combined as one series.
Pedestrian, Cyclist and Motorcyclist Safety Context
The supplied passenger-vehicle table is specifically an occupant series and therefore excludes nonoccupants. Its values should not be used as totals for pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.
The broader global context is that WHO reports approximately 1.16 million annual road deaths and 20 million to 50 million annual non-fatal injuries worldwide. WHO also reports intervention and speed-risk measures that apply across road-safety settings, but these are evidence-summary estimates rather than counts of attributable fatalities.
The distinction matters when comparing populations. A passenger-vehicle occupant total measures people inside cars, pickups or SUVs, while a global road-death estimate covers a wider set of road users and countries.
Traffic Fatality Statistics by Sex, Age and Seating Position
For nearly every year from 1975 through 2024, male motor-vehicle crash deaths exceeded female deaths by more than two to one. Across that period, male crash deaths declined about 13%, while female crash deaths declined about 9%; these are long-run count comparisons, not exposure-adjusted risk measures.
In 2024, IIHS recorded 17,268 passenger-vehicle driver deaths, including 16,087 drivers aged 20 or older. It also recorded 3,465 front-row passenger deaths, including 71 younger than 13 and 450 aged 13–19.
- Second-row passengers accounted for 1,589 passenger-vehicle deaths in 2024, including 389 people younger than 13.
- Third-row passengers accounted for 74 passenger-vehicle deaths in 2024, including 27 people younger than 13.
- Seven percent of passenger-vehicle occupant deaths in 2024 occurred in the second or third row, according to the IIHS seating-position classification.
The age categories in these seating-position figures are younger than 13, ages 13–19 and ages 20 or older. The third-row count is small, so it should be read as a count rather than a stable rate.
Sources: Fatality Facts 2024: Passenger vehicle occupants and Fatality Facts: Males and females. The sex-disaggregated figures are based on the IIHS FARS report.
Road-Safety Risk Statistics Linked to Fatal Crashes
WHO summarizes several relationships between road conditions, protective equipment and injury outcomes. These figures describe associations or scenario-specific intervention estimates, not direct U.S. fatality counts.
- A 1% increase in mean speed is associated with a 4% increase in fatal-crash risk and a 3% increase in serious-crash risk.
- The risk of death for a pedestrian hit by a car front rises 4.5-fold from 50 km/h to 65 km/h.
- WHO cites an 85% fatality risk for car occupants in car-to-car side impacts at 65 km/h.
- Correct motorcycle-helmet use can reduce brain-injury risk by up to 74%.
- Seat-belt use can reduce vehicle-occupant death risk by up to 50%.
- Child restraints can reduce deaths among infants by 71%.
The “up to” values are maximum reported reductions, not average effects for every rider, occupant, infant or crash. Collision conditions, restraint use and the surrounding road environment can vary substantially.
Source: Road traffic injuries (World Health Organization). These risk figures are evidence-summary estimates and are not counts of attributable fatalities.