Montana car accident statistics (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Montana by year

Car accident deaths rose from 171 in 2020 to 197 in 2021, then fell to 172 in 2022. The count rose to 177 in 2023 before falling to 163 in 2024. The highest count was in 2021, and the lowest was in 2024. The 2024 count was 8 deaths lower than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Montana's share of the national car accident death total was 0.5% in each year shown. Across 2020 through 2024, Montana recorded 880 deaths against a national total of 176,219, with a period share of 0.5%. The annual share of Montana traffic deaths occurring in these crashes ranged from 79.1% in 2024 to 85.1% in 2023.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised when NHTSA publishes the final file.

Who died in Montana car accidents

People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 743 deaths, or 84.4% of car accident deaths during 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 69 deaths, or 7.8%. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 68 deaths, or 7.7%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

These labels classify people killed in the selected passenger-vehicle-involved crashes, rather than limiting the count to passenger vehicle occupants. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) is a classification that can include occupants of parked motor vehicles; it is not a literal test of a person's position outside a vehicle.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Collision types and setting

By manner of collision, car accident deaths were Angle (side impact), 140; Head-on, 132; Rear-end, 32; Sideswipe, 19; Other, 6; and Unknown, 1. Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 550 deaths (62.5%). This describes a first harmful event other than a collision between motor vehicles in transport, such as a rollover or striking a fixed object. A vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime accounted for 432 deaths (49.1%); nighttime accounted for 444 (50.5%). Time was unknown for 4 deaths. Urban locations accounted for 171 deaths (19.4%), rural locations for 704 (80.0%), and unknown land use for 5.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Counties with the most car accident deaths

Yellowstone County recorded the most car accident deaths, 93, followed by Flathead County with 92 and Missoula County with 84. Big Horn County recorded 55 deaths; Cascade County, 47; Gallatin County, 46; Lake County, 40; Jefferson County, 30; and Glacier County, 28. Lewis and Clark County recorded 25 deaths, and Ravalli County recorded 24. Lincoln County, Park County and Rosebud County each recorded 20 deaths. Sanders County recorded 18.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

These are deaths grouped by crash county for 2020 through 2024. Rates are separate measures: among the listed counties, Big Horn County had the highest average annual deaths per 100,000 residents at 85.2, and Lewis and Clark County had the lowest at 6.8. County rates with few deaths can change sharply with each death.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Up to 15 counties with the most deaths in the period, largest first. Rates for counties with few deaths change sharply with each death.

How Montana compares with the national rate

Montana's car accident death rate was 15.8, compared with the national rate of 10.5. Both figures measure average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Montana's rate was higher than the national rate. The corresponding death counts were 880 for Montana and 176,219 for the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

The rates use deaths divided by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for the period, multiplied by 100,000. They do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Montana's separately displayed 2024 population estimate of 1,137,557 is not the rate's denominator. If you are searching for a car accident lawyer, keep the grouping in mind: these counts follow crash location, not residency.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

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 vehicle occupant or nonoccupant dying within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. State and county counts follow where the crash happened, not where those killed lived.^[8][6][7]

The 2020 through 2023 records are Final Files. The 2024 Annual Report File can change when NHTSA publishes its Final File. Rates use the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, Vintage 2025, rather than the separate July 1, 2024 estimate. Dividing period deaths by that sum and multiplying by 100,000 gives average annual deaths per 100,000 residents, without adjustments for miles driven or visitors.^[8][6][7]

See also

• FARS Annual Report File and Final File