Highway Safety - Fatality & serious injury rates
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Fatality & serious injury rates
Source: WSDOT Transportation Data, GIS and Modeling Office; the Coded Fatal Crash System (CFC), Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
Notes: Fatality and serious injury numbers are updated as new information becomes available and, as a result, may not match numbers from previous Gray Notebooks. Statewide traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roadways are per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT); Statewide VMT on public roadways is in billions of miles. Gray Notebook fatality and serious injury numbers for 2018-2022 were updated with 2022 data (most recent available).
Performance analysis
2022
Injury rates and vehicle miles traveled both increase in 2022
The rate of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled increased 9.4% from 1.17 in 2021 to 1.28 in 2022. During the same period, the serious injury rate increased 11.6% from 4.56 to 5.09 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The higher increase in the injury rate indicates that the number of crashes is going up more than expected compared to pre-COVID volumes.
2021
Injury rates and vehicle miles traveled both see increases in 2021
The rate of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled increased 7.5% from 1.01 in 2020 to 1.15 in 2021. During the same period, the serious injury rate increased 11.6% from 4.56 to 5.09 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
With a 7.35% increase in annual vehicle miles traveled from 53.5 billion miles in 2020 to 57.5 billion miles in 2021, these increases suggest driving patterns and behaviors that changed during the pandemic are continuing and drivers are still taking unnecessary risks, including speeding, failing to wear seat belts, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
2020
Fatality and serious injury rates increase from 2016 to 2020
The rate of traffic fatalities increased 18% from 0.881 to 1.04 from 2016-2020 and the serious injury rate increased 25% during the same period from 3.645 to 4.558 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
With a 14% decline in vehicle miles traveled from 2019 to 2020, these increases suggest that throughout the pandemic, driving patterns and behaviors changed significantly, and that more drivers engaged in risky behavior, including speeding, failing to wear seat belts, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
2019
Fatality rate decreases from 2015 to 2019
While vehicle miles traveled increased 4.7% from 59.7 billion in 2015 to 62.5 billion in 2019, the rate of traffic fatalities in comparison has decreased 9.3% from 0.924 to 0.838 during this five-year period. Meanwhile, the serious injury rate has increased slightly during this time, up 0.2% from 3.591 to 3.599 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
2018
Fataly rate decreases in 2018
The rate of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was 0.827 in 2018, a 10.1% decrease from 0.920 in 2017.
Serious traffic injury rate trends down in 2018
The rate of serious traffic injuries was 3.579 injuries per 100 million VMT in 2018, a 1.0% decrease from the rate of 3.616 in 2017. The serious traffic injury rate in Washington has increased 3.7% in the five years since 2014, when it was 3.452.