| Data years | 2020-2024[1][2][3][4][5] |
|---|---|
| Deaths in car accidents, 2020-2024 | 297[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Deaths in car accidents, 2024 | 72[5] |
| Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents | 11.2[1][2][3][4][5][6] |
| Population, July 1, 2024 (estimate) | 549,257[6] |
| 2024 data file | FARS Annual Report File[5] |
Adams County, Colorado recorded 297 car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024, accounting for 85.6% of its 347 traffic deaths. In 2024, the county recorded 72 car accident deaths, or 85.7% of 84 traffic deaths that year. The period covered 272 fatal crashes involving passenger vehicles, with an average of 59.4 deaths per year. These counts refer to crashes that happened in the county.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
For these Adams County car accident statistics, a qualifying crash is a fatal crash involving at least one passenger car, SUV, pickup or van. The death count includes everyone killed in those crashes, across all the person categories shown in the table. The sources are NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and Census Bureau population estimates, which supply the population figures used to calculate rates.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
Car accident deaths in Adams County by year
Car accident deaths rose from 44 in 2020 to 54 in 2021 and 71 in 2022. The count then fell to 56 in 2023 before rising to 72 in 2024. The highest count was in 2024, and the lowest was in 2020. The 2024 count was 28 deaths higher than the 2020 count.[1][2][3][4][5]
All traffic deaths followed the same sequence of increases and decreases: 53 in 2020, 65 in 2021, 81 in 2022, 64 in 2023 and 84 in 2024. The car accident share was 83.0%, 83.1%, 87.7%, 87.5% and 85.7%, respectively. That share was highest in 2022, while the highest death count occurred in 2024.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Deaths in car accidents | All traffic deaths | Share in car accidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 44 | 53 | 83.0% |
| 2021 | 54 | 65 | 83.1% |
| 2022 | 71 | 81 | 87.7% |
| 2023 | 56 | 64 | 87.5% |
| 2024 | 72 | 84 | 85.7% |
Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.
Who died in Adams County car accidents
People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 182 deaths, or 61.3% of car accident deaths in Adams County during 2020 through 2024. This was the largest category. People in other vehicles accounted for 34 deaths, or 11.4%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 81 deaths, or 27.3%.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Each category includes deaths from the selected passenger-vehicle-involved crashes. The Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) label follows the FARS classification rather than a literal test of a person's position relative to a vehicle. Its classification can include occupants of parked motor vehicles.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
How the fatal car crashes happened
Manner of collision describes the first harmful event in a car accident. Angle (side impact) accounted for 73 deaths, or 24.6%; Head-on for 22, or 7.4%; Rear-end for 21, or 7.1%; and Sideswipe for 13, or 4.4%.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 168 deaths, or 56.6%. This means the first harmful event was not a collision between motor vehicles in transport. Examples include striking a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle or fixed object, or a rollover. A motor vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic, so the category does not test whether another vehicle was physically moving.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Time of day and setting
Nighttime, defined as 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., accounted for 208 car accident deaths, or 70.0%, during 2020 through 2024. Daytime, from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., accounted for 89 deaths, or 30.0%. The nighttime count was higher than the daytime count.[1][2][3][4][5]
The land-use classification recorded 283 deaths in urban locations, or 95.3%, and 14 in rural locations, or 4.7%. These classifications describe where crashes occurred. Separately, crashes that also involved a large truck accounted for 19 car accident deaths, or 6.4% of the county's passenger-vehicle-involved death count.[1][2][3][4][5]
Car accident death rate compared with Colorado and the United States
The Adams County car accident death rate was 11.2 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Colorado's rate was 10.1, and the national rate was 10.5. The county rate was higher than both. Rates use deaths divided by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, multiplied by 100,000.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Among the listed neighboring counties, Denver County and Arapahoe County each had a rate of 8.0. Weld County had the highest rate at 14.2, and Jefferson County had the lowest at 6.8. Adams County's rate was lower than Weld County's and higher than the other listed neighbors' rates. These population-based rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| Area | Deaths, 2020-2024 | Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, Colorado | 297 | 11.2 |
| Colorado | 2,963 | 10.1 |
| United States | 176,219 | 10.5 |
| Denver County, Colorado (neighbor) | 289 | 8.0 |
| Arapahoe County, Colorado (neighbor) | 266 | 8.0 |
| Weld County, Colorado (neighbor) | 249 | 14.2 |
| Jefferson County, Colorado (neighbor) | 197 | 6.8 |
Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.
Recorded characteristics of all fatal crashes
Recorded characteristics cover all fatal crashes in Adams County, of any vehicle type, rather than only car accident deaths. Shares of all traffic deaths were 39.5% for Speeding-related, 34.6% for Roadway departure, 38.9% for At an intersection and 25.4% for Pedestrian involved.[1][2][3][4][5]
Motorcycle involved accounted for 19.0%; Hit-and-run, 12.7%; Driver distraction reported, 6.6%; and In a work zone, 0.9%. The denominator for these shares is the county's 347 traffic deaths during 2020 through 2024. A crash can have several recorded characteristics, so rows overlap and do not add to 100%. These entries are not findings of fault or cause.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Recorded crash characteristic (all fatal crashes) | Deaths, 2020-2024 | Share of all traffic deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 137 | 39.5% |
| Roadway departure | 120 | 34.6% |
| At an intersection | 135 | 38.9% |
| Pedestrian involved | 88 | 25.4% |
| Motorcycle involved | 66 | 19.0% |
| Hit-and-run | 44 | 12.7% |
| Driver distraction reported | 23 | 6.6% |
| In a work zone | 3 | 0.9% |
A crash can carry several characteristics, so the rows overlap and do not add to 100%. These are recorded characteristics, not findings of fault.
About these figures
FARS is NHTSA's census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Inclusion requires a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and a death within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. Counts use the crash's county, not the deceased person's residence. Readers searching for a car accident lawyer should keep that location-based grouping in mind.[8][6][7]
The 2020 through 2023 figures use FARS Final Files. The 2024 Annual Report File remains subject to revision. Rates use summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025 to calculate average annual deaths per 100,000 residents. The separate July 1, 2024 estimate of 549,257 is not the denominator; rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.[8][6][7]
See also
References
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghi "Annual resident population estimates for counties, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (CO-EST2025-ALLDATA)". U.S. Census Bureau. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefgh "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- ab "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record