How many people die on North Carolina roads?

In 2024, NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recorded 1,509 fatal crashes in North Carolina, in which 1,619 people died. Over the whole period the file covers, 1975 to 2024, it records 73,464 deaths.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) exported 2026-09-11

Fatal crashes in North Carolina by year

Fatal crashes in North Carolina1975–2024

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

1975 1,563 fatal crashes at the peak 2024

All 50 years as a table
YearFatal crashesDeaths
2024 1,509 1,619
2023 1,465 1,577
2022 1,501 1,631
2021 1,563 1,693
2020 1,415 1,538
2019 1,358 1,457
2018 1,321 1,436
2017 1,306 1,412
2016 1,348 1,450
2015 1,275 1,379
2014 1,188 1,284
2013 1,188 1,290
2012 1,229 1,299
2011 1,143 1,230
2010 1,218 1,320
2009 1,207 1,313
2008 1,319 1,428
2007 1,515 1,676
2006 1,424 1,554
2005 1,418 1,547
2004 1,417 1,573
2003 1,396 1,553
2002 1,427 1,576
2001 1,360 1,530
2000 1,408 1,557
1999 1,350 1,505
1998 1,433 1,596
1997 1,290 1,483
1996 1,329 1,494
1995 1,305 1,448
1994 1,254 1,431
1993 1,228 1,389
1992 1,124 1,265
1991 1,213 1,369
1990 1,250 1,385
1989 1,321 1,471
1988 1,400 1,573
1987 1,416 1,584
1986 1,489 1,647
1985 1,332 1,482
1984 1,291 1,450
1983 1,083 1,234
1982 1,168 1,303
1981 1,319 1,475
1980 1,327 1,503
1979 1,352 1,527
1978 1,331 1,492
1977 1,251 1,428
1976 1,304 1,502
1975 1,343 1,506

1975 opened at 1,343 fatal crashes and 2024 closed at 1,509. A year the source holds no rows for is left blank rather than drawn through.

The counties with the most

North Carolina counties with the most fatal crashes2024

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

Counted over the whole period the export covers. A county with more road on it records more crashes; this is not a safety ranking.

County Fatal crashes Deaths
Mecklenburg 37119 115 121
Wake 37183 76 83
Guilford 37081 70 74
Cumberland 37051 58 59
Buncombe 37021 40 44
Forsyth 37067 39 39
Gaston 37071 37 37
Robeson 37155 37 46
Johnston 37101 34 40
Harnett 37085 33 35
Rowan 37159 32 32
Davidson 37057 30 33
Durham 37063 30 31
Randolph 37151 28 29
New Hanover 37129 27 29

Which roads carry the deaths

Fatal crashes by road class2024

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

Share is of the crashes this source assigned a road class to, not of every crash in the state.

Road class Fatal crashes Deaths Share
Secondary Route 583 605 39%
U.S. Highway 347 383 23%
State Highway 316 345 21%
Interstate 170 189 11%
Not Signed 90 94 6%

Where these numbers come from

These figures come from NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). They are exported into this repository by export_fars_state.py, reviewed, and committed, so the page is static and the number on it cannot change between a reader loading it and citing it.

The export covers 1975 to 2024 and was generated on 2026-09-11. Every year in that span carries rows.

Counties are keyed by FIPS code rather than by name, because a county name is not unique across the country and thirty states have a Washington County. The code is printed beside each name so a row can be joined to any other federal file.

You are welcome to quote these figures. Please cite NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) as the source, which is where they come from, and link this page if the compilation was useful.

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