Vermont car accident statistics (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Vermont by year

Car accident deaths in Vermont rose from 50 in 2020 to 61 in 2021, remained at 61 in 2022, then fell to 56 in 2023 and 48 in 2024. The highest count was shared by 2021 and 2022; the lowest was in 2024. The 2024 count was 2 deaths lower than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Vermont's share of the U.S. car accident death total was 0.1% in 2020, 0.2% in 2021, 0.2% in 2022, 0.2% in 2023 and 0.1% in 2024. Across 2020 through 2024, Vermont accounted for 0.2% of the national total of 176,219 deaths. The annual table also distinguishes these deaths from all traffic deaths recorded in each year.^{[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 Vermont car accidents

People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 210 deaths, or 76.1% of Vermont's car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 31 deaths, or 11.2%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 35 deaths, or 12.7%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Each category counts deaths in the selected passenger-vehicle-involved crashes. The labels describe the FARS person groupings, and the nonoccupant grouping is not a literal test of being outside a vehicle. These figures are grouped by crash location, not residency.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Collision types and setting

Head-on collisions accounted for 53 deaths (19.2%); Angle (side impact), 40 (14.5%); Rear-end, 10 (3.6%); and Sideswipe, 8 (2.9%). Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 165 deaths (59.8%). This means the first harmful event was not between motor vehicles in transport, such as a rollover or striking a fixed object, parked vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. In transport can include a vehicle stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime car accident deaths numbered 164 (59.4%), and nighttime deaths numbered 110 (39.9%). Urban deaths numbered 45 (16.3%), while rural deaths numbered 229 (83.0%). Time of day and land use each had 2 deaths (0.7%) classified as unknown.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Counties with the most car accident deaths

Chittenden County had the most car accident deaths in the county table, with 42, followed by Rutland County with 38 and Franklin County with 32. Windsor County recorded 27 deaths, Orleans County 23 and Washington County 22. Bennington County had 20 deaths, Caledonia County 17 and Addison County 16. Orange County and Windham County each recorded 13 deaths; Lamoille County recorded 10, Grand Isle County 2 and Essex County 1.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Death counts and population-based rates give distinct comparisons. Among the listed counties, Orleans County had the highest average annual rate, 16.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, while Essex County had the lowest, 3.3. Chittenden County's rate was 5.0. County figures group deaths by crash county, and rates with few deaths 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 Vermont compares with the national rate

Vermont's car accident death rate was 8.5 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 276 for Vermont and 176,219 for the United States; these are period death counts, not annual rates.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

The rate calculation divides deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for the period, then multiplies by 100,000. It does not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Vermont's separately displayed July 1, 2024 population estimate of 646,521 is not the rate denominator. When reading these figures with a car accident lawyer, keep the period death counts distinct from the average annual rates.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

About these figures

NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System is a 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 death within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. State and county counts use crash location, not 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 deaths divided by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, multiplied by 100,000. They measure average annual deaths per 100,000 residents without adjustment for miles driven or visitors. The separately shown July 1, 2024 population is not the denominator.^[8][6][7]

See also

• FARS Annual Report File and Final File