Highway Safety - Traffic fatalities & serious injuries

2023

Fatality and serious injuries increase in 2023

There were 810 traffic fatalities on all public roads in Washington in 2023, a 9.0% increase compared to 743 traffic fatalities in 2022. In the past 10 years, the number of people killed in traffic incidents has increased 75.3% from 462 in 2014. The numbers for fatalities represent individual people whose lives were ended prematurely due to a preventable crash on Washington state roadways.

Serious injuries from traffic incidents in Washington followed a similar trend and increased 10.0% from 3,102 in 2022 to 3,413 in 2023. In the past 10 years, the number of people suffering serious injuries as the result of traffic incidents has increased 70.3% from 2,004 in 2014. People who were seriously injured on state roadways may have had their lives permanently altered as a result of these crashes. Serious injuries include:

• Severe lacerations resulting in exposure of underlying tissues, muscle, or organs or resulting in significant loss of blood
• Broken or distorted extremities (arm or leg)
• Crush injuries, suspected skull, chest, or abdominal injuries (other than bruises or minor lacerations)
• Significant burns (second and third degree burns over 10 percent or more of the body)
• Unconsciousness when taken from the crash scene
• Paralysis

Traffic fatalities and serious injuries continue to trend upward due to a number of factors, notably that the instances of people engaging in risk-taking behaviors (speeding, impairment, etc.) have increased overall.

Traffic volumes have also increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, but statewide trends show enforcement remains reduced and some drivers are continuing risk-taking behaviors. This combination results in travelers facing a higher exposure to severe crashes.

Reversing the state's upward trends in fatality and serious injury crashes will require a well-coordinated, multi-agency strategic approach to identify and outline the appropriate investments and actions needed to reach the goals of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan: Target Zero. The SHSP aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Washington's roads to zero by the year 2030.

2022

Fatality and serious injury crashes increase in 2022

There were 750 traffic fatalities on all public roads in Washington in 2022, an 11.3% increase compared to the 674 traffic fatalities in 2021. In the past 10 years, the number of traffic fatalities has increased 72.0% from 436 in 2013.

Serious injuries from traffic incidents in Washington followed a similar trend and increased 5.8% from 2,921 in 2021 to 3,090 in 2022. In the past 10 years, the number of serious injuries has increased 61.3% from 1,916 in 2013.

Fatalities and serious injuries continue to trend upward based on a number of factors, notably that risk-taking behaviors (speeding, impairment, etc.) have increased overall. These increases are partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic during which speeds increased across the system as congestion decreased and the amount of enforcement declined.

Traffic volumes have increased since the pandemic but statewide trends show enforcement remains reduced and some drivers are continuing risk-taking behaviors. This results in increased exposure to and higher severity of crashes.

Reversing the state's continuing upward trends in fatality and serious injury crashes will require a well-coordinated, multi-agency strategic approach to identify and outline the appropriate investments and action needed to reach the goals of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Washington state has adopted the Strategic Highway Safety Plan: Target Zero—with the aim of reducing the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Washington's roadways to zero by the year 2030.

2021

Fatalities and serious injuries increase in 2021

In 2021 there were 674 traffic fatalities on all public roads in Washington. This was a 17.4% increase compared to the 574 traffic fatalities in 2020. While traffic fatalities trended down to a low point of 436 in 2013, they have since increased 54.6%.

Serious injuries from traffic incidents in Washington followed a similar trend and increased 20.4% from 2,428 in 2020 to 2,924 in 2021. While serious injuries dipped 29.5% from 2,718 in 2007 to 1,916 in 2013, they then have been trending up since. Washington's 2,924 serious injuries in 2021 marks a 52.6% increase over the 1,916 from 2013.

Reversing this decade-long trend requires a well-coordinated, multi-agency strategic approach to identify and outline the appropriate investments and action needed to reach the goals of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

Washington is not the only state facing these challenges. Across America, fatality rates have been the highest since 2005. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration preliminary numbers for 2021 estimated there were 42,915 traffic fatalities on public roads, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. Since 2013—Washington's low year for fatalities—the United States as a whole saw a 42.1% increase in fatalities, from 30,202 to the 42,915 estimated for 2021.

2020

Fatalities and serious injuries increase in 2020

There were 574 traffic fatalities on all public roads in 2020, a 6.7% increase compared to the 538 in 2019. At the same time serious traffic injuries still continue an upward trend, showing a 7.7% increase from 2019 in 2020 and a 9.4% increase during the five-year span from 2016 to 2020.

2019

Washington working to meet goal of no fatalities or serious injuries by 2030

WSDOT and safety partners statewide are considering what steps to achieve, or make significant progress toward, meeting Washington's 2030 goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

The safety of all travelers continues to be a major focus for Washington state and WSDOT and its partners are working to improve efforts statewide. There were 538 traffic fatalities on all public roads in 2019, a 0.2% reduction compared to the 539 in 2018, and a 2.4% reduction since 2015 when there were 551 traffic fatalities.

Serious traffic injuries continue to trend upward. There were 2,254 serious injuries in 2019, representing a 0.8% increase compared to the 2,236 in 2018 and a 7.3% increase since 2015 when there were 2,101 serious injuries.