| Data years | 2020-2024[1][2][3][4][5] |
|---|---|
| Deaths in car accidents, 2020-2024 | 1,706[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Deaths in car accidents, 2024 | 319[5] |
| Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents | 6.6[1][2][3][4][5][6] |
| Population, July 1, 2024 (estimate) | 5,188,791[6] |
| 2024 data file | FARS Annual Report File[5] |
Cook County, Illinois recorded 1,706 car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024, including 319 in 2024, which made up 88.1% of the county's 362 traffic deaths that year. Over the full five-year span, car accident deaths accounted for 86.7% of all 1,967 traffic deaths recorded in the county.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
On this page a car accident is a fatal crash involving at least one passenger vehicle, a category that covers cars, SUVs, pickups and vans. The deaths counted include everyone killed in those crashes: people riding in the passenger vehicles, people in other vehicles and nonoccupants. Figures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System together with Census Bureau population estimates.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
Car accident deaths in Cook County by year
Car accident deaths in Cook County ran from 320 in 2020 to 396 in 2021, 347 in 2022, 324 in 2023 and 319 in 2024. The highest year in this span was 2021, with 396 car accident deaths, and the lowest was 2024, with 319. Comparing the two ends of the period, 2024 recorded 1 fewer car accident death than 2020.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Deaths in car accidents | All traffic deaths | Share in car accidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 320 | 371 | 86.3% |
| 2021 | 396 | 458 | 86.5% |
| 2022 | 347 | 399 | 87.0% |
| 2023 | 324 | 377 | 85.9% |
| 2024 | 319 | 362 | 88.1% |
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 Cook County car accidents
People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 1,100 of the 1,706 car accident deaths recorded in Cook County from 2020 through 2024, a 64.5% share and the majority of the total. People in other vehicles made up 138 deaths, or 8.1% of the total, the smallest of the three categories. Nonoccupants, the FARS person-type grouping that includes pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants, accounted for 468 deaths, a 27.4% share.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
How the fatal car crashes happened
Among the manner-of-collision categories recorded for Cook County's 1,706 car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024, Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounts for 965 deaths, a 56.6% share and the majority of the total. This category describes crashes whose first harmful event was not a collision between motor vehicles in transport, such as striking a pedestrian, a cyclist, a parked vehicle or a fixed object, or a rollover; a motor vehicle in transport can still be stopped in traffic, so this is not a test of whether another vehicle was moving. Among collisions between motor vehicles in transport, Angle collisions account for 397 deaths (23.3%), Rear-end for 129 (7.6%), Head-on for 117 (6.9%) and Sideswipe for 78 (4.6%).[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Time of day and setting
Of the 1,706 car accident deaths recorded in Cook County from 2020 through 2024, 1,125 occurred during nighttime hours, a 65.9% share and the majority, while 576 occurred during daytime hours, a 33.8% share. Urban land use accounted for 1,683 of these deaths, a 98.7% share and the majority, compared with 15 in rural areas. Car accident deaths in crashes that also involved a large truck numbered 113, a 6.6% share of the county total.[1][2][3][4][5]
Car accident death rate compared with Illinois and the United States
Cook County's rate of 6.6 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents sits below the Illinois rate of 8.4 and the national rate of 10.5. Among the listed neighboring counties, Will County, Illinois has a rate of 7.4, Lake County, Indiana has a rate of 9.8, Lake County, Illinois has a rate of 6.3 and DuPage County, Illinois has a rate of 4.6; among these listed neighbors, the highest rate is Lake County, Indiana at 9.8 and the lowest is DuPage County, Illinois at 4.6. Cook County's rate is higher than the rates in Lake County, Illinois and DuPage County, Illinois, and lower than the rates in Illinois, the United States, Will County, Illinois and Lake County, Indiana. This rate reflects average annual deaths per 100,000 residents and does not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| Area | Deaths, 2020-2024 | Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County, Illinois | 1,706 | 6.6 |
| Illinois | 5,355 | 8.4 |
| United States | 176,219 | 10.5 |
| Will County, Illinois (neighbor) | 261 | 7.4 |
| Lake County, Indiana (neighbor) | 244 | 9.8 |
| Lake County, Illinois (neighbor) | 225 | 6.3 |
| DuPage County, Illinois (neighbor) | 214 | 4.6 |
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
Across all fatal crashes recorded in Cook County from 2020 through 2024, of any vehicle type, speeding-related crashes account for 765 deaths, a 38.9% share of all traffic deaths, the largest share among the characteristics listed. Roadway departure accounts for 707 deaths (35.9%) and crashes at an intersection account for 696 deaths (35.4%). Pedestrian involvement is recorded in 531 deaths (27.0%), driver distraction in 453 deaths (23.0%), hit-and-run circumstances in 342 deaths (17.4%), motorcycle involvement in 206 deaths (10.5%) and work zone crashes in 36 deaths, a 1.8% share, the smallest listed. These are recorded characteristics rather than findings of fault, and since a single crash can carry several of them, the rows overlap and do not add to 100%.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Recorded crash characteristic (all fatal crashes) | Deaths, 2020-2024 | Share of all traffic deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 765 | 38.9% |
| Roadway departure | 707 | 35.9% |
| At an intersection | 696 | 35.4% |
| Pedestrian involved | 531 | 27.0% |
| Motorcycle involved | 206 | 10.5% |
| Hit-and-run | 342 | 17.4% |
| Driver distraction reported | 453 | 23.0% |
| In a work zone | 36 | 1.8% |
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
These figures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes on public trafficways in which a vehicle occupant or nonoccupant dies within 30 days. Deaths and crashes are grouped by the county where the crash occurred, not by where the people killed lived. Data for 2020 through 2023 come from FARS Final Files, while the 2024 figures come from the Annual Report File and may be revised when NHTSA issues the Final File. Rates are calculated by dividing the 2020 to 2024 deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for those years. A car accident lawyer reviewing this page should note that the counts group deaths by crash location rather than by residency, and that FARS covers fatal crashes only, excluding nonfatal crashes and injuries entirely.[8][6][7]
See also
References
- abcdefghijklmnop "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnop "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnop "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnop "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqr "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefg "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
- abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- ^ "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record