Car accident statistics for Shelby County, Tennessee (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Shelby County by year

Car accident deaths in Shelby County ranged across the five years examined, with 209 recorded in 2020, 219 in 2021, 216 in 2022, 234 in 2023 and 191 in 2024. The highest year was 2023, with 234 deaths, and the lowest year was 2024, with 191 deaths. Comparing the two ends of the period, 2024 showed 18 fewer car accident deaths than 2020. All traffic deaths in the county were 246 in 2020, 255 in 2021, 246 in 2022, 259 in 2023 and 218 in 2024.^{[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 Shelby County car accidents

Among the 1,069 car accident deaths recorded in Shelby County from 2020 through 2024, People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 773 deaths, or 72.3% of the total, making up the majority of people killed. People in other vehicles accounted for 77 deaths, or 7.2%. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 219 deaths, or 20.5%, of the five-year total.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

How the fatal car crashes happened

Manner of collision data show that 475 car accident deaths, or 44.4%, fell under the category Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport, meaning the first harmful event was something other than a crash between motor vehicles in transport, such as a vehicle striking a nonoccupant, a parked vehicle or a fixed object, or a rollover. Angle (side impact) crashes accounted for 365 car accident deaths (34.1% of the five-year total), Head-on crashes for 121 deaths (11.3%), Rear-end crashes for 74 deaths (6.9%), and Sideswipe crashes for 31 deaths (2.9%). Unknown manner of collision accounted for 3 deaths, or 0.3%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Time of day and setting

Of the 1,069 car accident deaths recorded in Shelby County from 2020 through 2024, 646 occurred during nighttime hours (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.), a 60.4% share, while 405 occurred during daytime hours (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.), a 37.9% share; 18 deaths, or 1.7%, occurred at an unknown time. By land use, 1,047 deaths, or 97.9%, occurred in urban areas, compared with 22 deaths, or 2.1%, in rural areas. Car accident deaths in crashes that also involved a large truck numbered 78, a 7.3% share of the five-year total.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Car accident death rate compared with Tennessee and the United States

Shelby County's average annual rate of car accident deaths was 23.2 per 100,000 residents from 2020 through 2024. That figure is higher than the Tennessee rate of 15.6 per 100,000 residents and higher than the national rate of 10.5 per 100,000 residents. Among the areas compared on this page, Shelby County shows the highest rate and the United States shows the lowest. This rate reflects average annual deaths per 100,000 residents only; it does not adjust for miles driven or for visitors to the county, so it should be read alongside, not in place of, raw death counts.^{[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 recorded characteristics across all fatal crashes in Shelby County, of any vehicle type, Roadway departure was tied to 439 deaths, a 35.9% share of all traffic deaths, and At an intersection was tied to 421 deaths, a 34.4% share. Pedestrian involved crashes accounted for 322 deaths (26.3%), Hit-and-run crashes for 209 deaths (17.1%), Speeding-related crashes for 266 deaths (21.7%), Motorcycle involved crashes for 96 deaths (7.8%), Driver distraction reported for 83 deaths (6.8%), and In a work zone for 12 deaths (1.0%). A car accident lawyer reviewing this page should note that these shares overlap, since a single crash can carry several recorded characteristics, so the rows do not add to 100%.^{[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

These figures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes on public trafficways where someone dies within 30 days of the crash; crashes without a death are not included. Deaths are grouped by the county where the crash occurred rather than 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 divide five-year deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for those years, multiplied by 100,000, and do not account for miles driven or visitors to the county.^[8][6][7]

See also

• Tennessee car accident statistics (2020-2024)