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Nighttime crash

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A nighttime crash in the NHTSA time-of-day convention occurs from 6 p.m. through 5:59 a.m., a clock-time interval rather than a determination that the road was dark. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System auxiliary time-of-day field distinguishes the known daytime or nighttime categories from records with unknown time, and the national table retains those records instead of moving them into a known interval. The figures sum people killed in selected fatal traffic crashes, including crashes with different vehicle types, rather than only passenger-vehicle car accidents or only the people driving at that hour.[1][2][3]

Contents

Official definition and data selection

The nighttime crash interval combines the evening and early-morning hours, while the complementary daytime interval runs from 6 a.m. through 5:59 p.m. under the manual's analytical convention. The light-condition field is separate from the time-of-day grouping, so the clock-based selection is not the same as selecting every accident record whose lighting condition is coded dark. The nighttime crash death measure uses fatalities recorded for events in that auxiliary category, with daytime and unknown-time death counts supplied in separate columns for the same data year.[1][2][3]

National figures

In 2020, the national nighttime crash category recorded 20,850 deaths, with 17,834 deaths in the daytime category and 323 deaths where time was unknown, using the clock-based grouping. In 2021, the national nighttime crash category recorded 23,242 deaths, with 19,660 deaths in the daytime category and 328 deaths where time was unknown, using the clock-based grouping. In 2022, the national nighttime crash category recorded 23,038 deaths, with 19,365 deaths in the daytime category and 318 deaths where time was unknown, using the clock-based grouping.[4][5][6]

In 2023, the national nighttime crash category recorded 22,219 deaths, with 18,525 deaths in the daytime category and 281 deaths where time was unknown, using the clock-based grouping. In 2024, the national nighttime crash category recorded 20,971 deaths, with 18,017 deaths in the daytime category and 266 deaths where time was unknown, using the clock-based grouping.[7][8]

National figures[4][5][6][7][8]
YearNighttime deathsDaytime deathsUnknown time deaths
202020,85017,834323
202123,24219,660328
202223,03819,365318
202322,21918,525281
202420,97118,017266

United States, 50 states and District of Columbia, excluding Puerto Rico. 2024 uses the Annual Report File; earlier FARS years use saved Final Files.

Limits of the term and figures

The nighttime crash totals are not a measure of how many miles people drove during that interval, so a larger death count alone does not establish a greater risk per mile traveled. The recorded crash time determines the category rather than the time at which a person later died, since FARS separately applies the fatal-injury inclusion window to qualifying traffic crashes. The nighttime crash figures do not identify a cause of a car accident or resolve legal responsibility, and records with unknown time are not assumed to belong to either known time period.[1][2][3]

On related publications

References

  1. abc "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Auxiliary Data Manual, 1982-2019 (DOT HS 813 071)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  2. abc "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  3. abc "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  4. ab "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  5. ab "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  6. ab "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  7. ab "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  8. ab "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record