Car accident statistics for St. Louis County, Missouri (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in St. Louis County by year

Car accident deaths in St. Louis County ran from 88 in 2020 to 99 in 2021, then 89 in 2022, 95 in 2023 and 102 in 2024. The highest year in this span was 2024, with 102 deaths, and the lowest was 2020, with 88 deaths. Between 2020 and 2024, the county's car accident death count was higher by 14 deaths.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

All traffic deaths followed a similar pattern across the five years, moving from 94 in 2020 to 112 in 2024, with 110 in 2021, 97 in 2022 and 99 in 2023. The share of all traffic deaths that were car accident deaths ranged from 90.0% in 2021 to 96.0% in 2023.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

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 St. Louis County car accidents

Among the 473 car accident deaths recorded in St. Louis County from 2020 through 2024, People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 305 deaths, a share of 64.5%, making up the majority of this total. People in other vehicles accounted for 41 deaths, or 8.7%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 127 deaths, a share of 26.8%. Together these three categories cover everyone counted in the county's car accident deaths for the period.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

How the fatal car crashes happened

Manner of collision breaks the 473 car accident deaths down by the crash's first harmful event. Angle, or side impact, collisions accounted for 86 deaths (18.2%), rear-end collisions for 53 deaths (11.2%), head-on collisions for 50 deaths (10.6%), and sideswipe collisions for 21 deaths (4.4%). A single death fell under Other, at 0.2%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The largest row, Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport, accounted for 262 deaths, a share of 55.4%, making it the majority category. This row means the first harmful event was not a collision between motor vehicles in transport, covering cases such as striking a pedestrian, a cyclist, a parked vehicle or a fixed object, or a rollover; because a motor vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic, this is not a test of whether another vehicle was physically moving.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Time of day and setting

Of the 473 car accident deaths recorded from 2020 through 2024, 294 occurred during nighttime hours (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.), a share of 62.2%, compared with 179 during daytime hours (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.), a share of 37.8%. By land use, 456 deaths occurred in urban areas, a share of 96.4%, while 11 occurred in rural areas, a share of 2.3%, and 6 were of unknown land use.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Car crashes that also involved a large truck accounted for 34 deaths over the same period, a share of 7.2% of the county's car accident deaths.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Car accident death rate compared with Missouri and the United States

St. Louis County's average annual rate of car accident deaths was 9.5 per 100,000 residents from 2020 through 2024. That rate is lower than the Missouri rate of 13.7 and lower than the national rate of 10.5.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, City of St. Louis, Missouri had the highest rate at 19.9, followed by St. Clair County, Illinois at 13.6, Jefferson County, Missouri at 12.7, and Madison County, Illinois at 11.1, the lowest among the listed neighboring counties. St. Louis County's rate of 9.5 was lower than each of these four listed neighboring counties. 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]}

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

Looking at all fatal crashes in St. Louis County, of any vehicle type, several characteristics were recorded as shares of all traffic deaths from 2020 through 2024. Speeding-related crashes accounted for 214 deaths, a share of 41.8%, and roadway departure accounted for 205 deaths, a share of 40.0%. Pedestrian involvement was recorded in 144 deaths (28.1%), and crashes at an intersection in 120 deaths (23.4%).^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Motorcycle involvement was recorded in 56 deaths (10.9%), driver distraction in 61 deaths (11.9%), hit-and-run crashes in 50 deaths (9.8%), and crashes in a work zone in 31 deaths (6.1%), the smallest share among these characteristics. Because a single crash can carry several characteristics, these shares overlap and do not add to 100%, and they are recorded characteristics rather than findings of fault.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

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

Figures on this page come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in which a crash qualifies when it involves a motor vehicle on a trafficway open to the public and someone dies within 30 days. FARS covers fatal crashes only, so nonfatal crashes and injuries are not part of these counts.^[8][6][7]

Deaths and crashes are grouped by the county where the crash occurred rather than by the home county of those killed. Data for 2020 through 2023 come from FARS Final Files, while the 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and may change when NHTSA issues the Final File. Rates divide 2020-2024 deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for those years, producing an average annual rate per 100,000 residents that does not account for miles driven or visitors.^[8][6][7]

See also

• Car accident statistics for St. Clair County, Illinois (2020-2024)
• Car accident statistics for City of St. Louis, Missouri (2020-2024)
• Missouri car accident statistics (2020-2024)