Car Accident Statistics

Below are some updated 2024 car accident statistics for Maryland and the United States. While some statistics are current for 2024, others are from 2023 and 2022, the most recent year with complete data available.  Elsewhere, we provide the settlement value of car and truck accident claims in Maryland, drunk driving statistics, and texting accident statistics.

The following car accident statistics are offered to give a context of the scope of the problem and to highlight some of the points we have been making:

• Smaller, more efficient vehicles offer less protection to occupants in a collision.
• Distracted driving has become one of the biggest dangers on the road today, thanks to smartphones and in-car technology.

With that in mind, we offer the following car crash statistics:

National Accident Statistics

Total Car Accidents

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 6,756,000 police-reported car accidents in the United States and an additional 10 million estimated auto accidents that were not reported.
• There were 1,916,000 medically consulted injuries resulting from auto accidents  – causing a total estimated loss of $413 billion (which includes lost earnings, medical expenses, property damage, and employer costs).

Car Accident Fatalities

• The NHTSA updated in April 2024 its projections for 2023 traffic fatalities, suggesting an increase in vehicular miles and a decline in death rates from 2022. It is predicted that the year 2023 saw 40,990 fatalities from vehicle-related incidents, marking a 3.6% reduction from the 42,514 deaths reported in 2022. The final quarter of 2023 marked the seventh consecutive period of declining fatalities, starting from the second quarter of 2022. The fatality rate for 2023 is estimated to have fallen to 1.26 deaths per 100 million miles driven, a decrease from the previous year’s rate of 1.33 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles. Additionally, the total miles driven in 2023 is thought to have risen as we get past COVID by about 67.5 billion miles, showing a 2.1% increase compared to 2022.
• Car accident deaths are down in the first quarter of 2023, and the second quarter
• The total number of accident fatalities is not a very insightful statistic for evaluating car accident safety trends. Deaths per car on the road and deaths per mile driven are much more accurate highway safety measures. Both of these analytical tools show that motor vehicles are comparatively safer now than ever before:
  • In 1913, there were 33 fatalities for every 10,000 registered vehicles. In 2019, there were only 1.5 deaths for every 10,000 registered vehicles. This represents a decrease of 95%.
  • Deaths per total vehicle miles driven have decreased by a factor of 16 since 1920.
• The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was 1.5 in 2021. This is up from 1.11 in 2019 and 1.14 in 2018. In 1980, the VMT was 3.3.
• According to a 2024 study in Pediatrics, around 20% of fatalities among child passengers in the U.S. in car crashes were linked to an alcohol-impaired driver, often the driver responsible for the child. Studies indicate that the higher the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in the child’s driver, the lower the likelihood of the child being secured adequately during the accident. Despite the introduction of laws aimed at preventing children from being in vehicles with drivers under the influence, these measures have not proven effective in safeguarding children. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has noted an increase in traffic-related deaths during the pandemic, with approximately 20% of child passenger fatalities involving a driver impaired by alcohol.
• Older drivers now account for 19% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S., according to a consumer alert issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on December 2 in honor of Older Driver Awareness Week. The NHTSA highlights the need to address age-related changes that may affect driving habits and urges the creation of safe driving plans to enhance safety for aging drivers.

Maryland Accident Statistics