Nevada car accident statistics (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Nevada by year

Car accident deaths rose from 280 in 2020 to 300 in 2021 and 349 in 2022. The count fell to 344 in 2023 before rising to 360 in 2024. The highest count was in 2024, and the lowest was in 2020. The 2024 count was 80 deaths higher than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Nevada's share of the national car accident death total was 0.8% in 2020 and 0.8% in 2021. It reached 1.0% in 2022, remained at 1.0% in 2023 and rose to 1.1% in 2024. Across 2020 through 2024, Nevada accounted for 0.9% of the national total of 176,219 deaths.^{[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 Nevada car accidents

People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 949 deaths, or 58.1% of Nevada's car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 241 deaths, or 14.8%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 443 deaths, or 27.1%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Each category counts deaths in the selected passenger-vehicle-involved crashes. The labels describe the FARS person groupings rather than where those people lived. When reading with a car accident lawyer in mind, keep these person categories attached to their respective counts.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Collision types and setting

Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Angle (side impact) accounted for 393 deaths; Head-on, 182; Rear-end, 102; Sideswipe, 39; Other, 2; and Unknown, 1. Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 914 deaths (56.0%). That row includes first events such as a rollover or striking a fixed object, rather than a collision between motor vehicles in transport. Vehicles stopped in traffic can be in transport.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime accounted for 739 car accident deaths (45.3%); nighttime, 894 (54.7%). Urban locations accounted for 1,176 deaths (72.0%); rural locations, 448 (27.4%); and unknown land use, 9 (0.6%).^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Counties with the most car accident deaths

Clark County had the most car accident deaths at 1,043, followed by Washoe County with 205, Nye County with 80, Elko County with 58 and Lyon County with 47. The listed counts continue with Churchill County at 36, Humboldt County at 27, Carson City at 25, Esmeralda County at 18 and Douglas County at 17. Lincoln County recorded 16 deaths, Mineral County 13, White Pine County 12, Lander County 11 and Pershing County 10.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Death counts and population-based rates describe different measures. Among the listed counties, Esmeralda County had the highest average annual deaths per 100,000 residents at 485.7, while Douglas County had the lowest at 6.9. County counts group deaths by crash location.^{[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 Nevada compares with the national rate

Nevada's car accident death rate was 10.3 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024, compared with the national rate of 10.5. The state rate was lower than the national rate. The corresponding death counts were 1,633 in Nevada and 176,219 across the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

These rates divide deaths during the period by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for the same years, then multiply by 100,000. They do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Nevada's separately reported 2024 population estimate of 3,253,543 is not the denominator used for this calculation. The rate uses deaths grouped by crash location, so it does not measure deaths solely among Nevada residents.^{[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 an occupant or nonoccupant dying within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. State and county counts follow crash location rather than the deceased person's residence.^[8][6][7]

The 2020 through 2023 figures use FARS Final Files. The 2024 Annual Report File figures may change when the Final File replaces them. Rates use the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, Vintage 2025, for 2020 through 2024, dividing deaths by that sum and multiplying by 100,000. The separately shown July 1, 2024 estimate is not that denominator; rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.^[8][6][7]

See also

• FARS Annual Report File and Final File
• Car accident statistics for Clark County, Nevada (2020-2024)
• Car accident statistics for Washoe County, Nevada (2020-2024)