| Data years | 2020-2024[1][2][3][4][5] |
|---|---|
| Deaths in car accidents, 2020-2024 | 4,135[1][2][3][4][5] |
| Deaths in car accidents, 2024 | 807[5] |
| Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents | 9.5[1][2][3][4][5][6] |
| Population, July 1, 2024 (estimate) | 8,819,642[6] |
| 2024 data file | FARS Annual Report File[5] |
Virginia recorded 4,135 car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024, representing 88.7% of the state's 4,660 traffic deaths during that period. In 2024, the car accident death count was 807, or 88.0% of 917 traffic deaths. These counts describe deaths in crashes that happened in Virginia, regardless of where the people who died lived.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
A car accident here means a fatal crash involving at least one passenger car, SUV, pickup or van. The death count includes everyone killed in those crashes, including people in other vehicles and Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping). These Virginia car accident statistics use NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System for fatal crash records and Census Bureau population estimates for population-based rates.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
Car accident deaths in Virginia by year
Car accident deaths rose from 759 in 2020 to 869 in 2021 and 903 in 2022. The count then fell to 797 in 2023 before rising to 807 in 2024. The highest count was in 2022, and the lowest was in 2020. The 2024 count was 48 deaths higher than the 2020 count.[1][2][3][4][5]
Virginia's share of the national car accident death total was 2.3% in 2020, 2.3% in 2021, 2.5% in 2022, 2.3% in 2023 and 2.4% in 2024. For 2020 through 2024, Virginia accounted for 2.3% of the national total of 176,219 deaths. The 2024 figures remain subject to revision.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Year | Deaths in car accidents | All traffic deaths | Share in car accidents | Share of U.S. total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 759 | 850 | 89.3% | 2.3% |
| 2021 | 869 | 973 | 89.3% | 2.3% |
| 2022 | 903 | 1,006 | 89.8% | 2.5% |
| 2023 | 797 | 914 | 87.2% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 807 | 917 | 88.0% | 2.4% |
2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised when NHTSA publishes the final file.
Who died in Virginia car accidents
People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 3,127 deaths, or 75.6% of Virginia's car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 350 deaths, or 8.5%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 658 deaths, or 15.9%.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Each category counts deaths in fatal crashes involving a passenger vehicle. The labels distinguish the people counted within those selected crashes. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) follows FARS classifications and is not a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Collision types and setting
Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Angle (side impact) accounted for 771 deaths; Head-on, 481; Rear-end, 269; Sideswipe, 146; and Other, 5. Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 2,463 deaths. That row includes first harmful events such as rollovers or impacts with fixed objects, rather than collisions between motor vehicles in transport. Vehicles stopped in traffic can be in transport.[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Daytime accounted for 2,014 car accident deaths (48.7%), and nighttime for 2,120 (51.3%); time was unknown for 1 (0.0%). Urban locations accounted for 1,979 deaths (47.9%), and rural locations for 2,145 (51.9%); land use was unknown for 11 (0.3%).[1][2][3][4][5][7]
Counties with the most car accident deaths
Fairfax County had the most car accident deaths at 226, followed by Henrico County at 157 and Chesterfield County at 141. City of Virginia Beach recorded 136 deaths; Prince William County, 118; City of Richmond, 114; City of Norfolk, 97; Hanover County, 90; and Spotsylvania County, 87.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The remaining listed counts were Augusta County, 78; City of Chesapeake, 77; Pittsylvania County, 74; City of Hampton, 70; City of Newport News, 70; and Albemarle County, 65. These are deaths grouped by crash county for 2020 through 2024.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Death counts and population-based rates have different rankings. Among the listed counties, Pittsylvania County had the highest average annual rate at 24.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, while Fairfax County had the lowest at 3.9. These rate rankings apply only to the listed counties.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| County | Deaths, 2020-2024 | Average annual deaths per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County | 226 | 3.9 |
| Henrico County | 157 | 9.3 |
| Chesterfield County | 141 | 7.5 |
| City of Virginia Beach | 136 | 6.0 |
| Prince William County | 118 | 4.8 |
| City of Richmond | 114 | 9.9 |
| City of Norfolk | 97 | 8.3 |
| Hanover County | 90 | 15.9 |
| Spotsylvania County | 87 | 11.9 |
| Augusta County | 78 | 20.0 |
| City of Chesapeake | 77 | 6.1 |
| Pittsylvania County | 74 | 24.7 |
| City of Hampton | 70 | 10.2 |
| City of Newport News | 70 | 7.6 |
| Albemarle County | 65 | 11.3 |
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 Virginia compares with the national rate
Virginia's car accident death rate was 9.5 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 4,135 for Virginia and 176,219 for the United States.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
These rates use deaths during the period divided by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, multiplied by 100,000. They do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Virginia's separately reported July 1, 2024 population estimate of 8,819,642 is not the denominator. For readers searching for a car accident lawyer, the grouping to keep in mind is crash location rather than the home address of the person who died.[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. It excludes nonfatal crashes and injuries. State and county counts follow crash location, not residence.[8][6][7]
The 2020 through 2023 records are Final Files; 2024 uses the Annual Report File, subject to revision when the Final File replaces it. Rates use the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, Vintage 2025, for 2020 through 2024, with deaths divided by that sum and multiplied by 100,000. The separate July 1, 2024 estimate is not the denominator. Rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.[8][6][7]
See also
References
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstu "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvw "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefghijklm "Annual resident population estimates for counties, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (CO-EST2025-ALLDATA)". U.S. Census Bureau. Official source. Checked . Source record
- abcdefgh "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
- ab "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record