How many people die on Washington roads?
In 2024, NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recorded 674 fatal crashes in Washington, in which 730 people died. Over the whole period the file covers, 1975 to 2024, it records 33,560 deaths.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) exported 2026-09-11
Fatal crashes in Washington by year
Fatal crashes in Washington1975–2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)All 50 years as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 674 | 730 |
| 2023 | 732 | 809 |
| 2022 | 701 | 743 |
| 2021 | 607 | 674 |
| 2020 | 539 | 574 |
| 2019 | 513 | 538 |
| 2018 | 490 | 539 |
| 2017 | 534 | 563 |
| 2016 | 504 | 536 |
| 2015 | 499 | 551 |
| 2014 | 429 | 462 |
| 2013 | 401 | 436 |
| 2012 | 403 | 438 |
| 2011 | 421 | 454 |
| 2010 | 422 | 460 |
| 2009 | 453 | 492 |
| 2008 | 482 | 521 |
| 2007 | 531 | 571 |
| 2006 | 578 | 633 |
| 2005 | 580 | 649 |
| 2004 | 509 | 567 |
| 2003 | 539 | 600 |
| 2002 | 586 | 658 |
| 2001 | 568 | 649 |
| 2000 | 572 | 631 |
| 1999 | 574 | 637 |
| 1998 | 590 | 662 |
| 1997 | 587 | 674 |
| 1996 | 643 | 712 |
| 1995 | 576 | 653 |
| 1994 | 575 | 640 |
| 1993 | 579 | 661 |
| 1992 | 592 | 651 |
| 1991 | 602 | 682 |
| 1990 | 726 | 825 |
| 1989 | 694 | 781 |
| 1988 | 700 | 778 |
| 1987 | 691 | 780 |
| 1986 | 648 | 703 |
| 1985 | 645 | 744 |
| 1984 | 674 | 746 |
| 1983 | 628 | 698 |
| 1982 | 671 | 748 |
| 1981 | 784 | 862 |
| 1980 | 847 | 971 |
| 1979 | 894 | 1,015 |
| 1978 | 865 | 985 |
| 1977 | 797 | 912 |
| 1976 | 694 | 804 |
| 1975 | 668 | 758 |
1975 opened at 668 fatal crashes and 2024 closed at 674. A year the source holds no rows for is left blank rather than drawn through.
The counties with the most
Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|
| King 53033 | 140 | 152 |
| Pierce 53053 | 94 | 102 |
| Snohomish 53061 | 59 | 64 |
| Spokane 53063 | 52 | 55 |
| Clark 53011 | 41 | 41 |
| Yakima 53077 | 32 | 35 |
| Thurston 53067 | 26 | 26 |
| Grant 53025 | 23 | 26 |
| Cowlitz 53015 | 20 | 23 |
| Skagit 53057 | 17 | 17 |
| Kitsap 53035 | 16 | 18 |
| Mason 53045 | 14 | 15 |
| Benton 53005 | 13 | 17 |
| Island 53029 | 13 | 14 |
| Whatcom 53073 | 12 | 12 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Highway | 192 | 208 | 29% |
| Municipal | 172 | 181 | 26% |
| County | 158 | 178 | 23% |
| Interstate | 78 | 84 | 12% |
| U.S. Highway | 59 | 63 | 9% |
| Other | 7 | 8 | 1% |
| Trafficway Not in State Inventory | 6 | 6 | 1% |
| Not Signed | 1 | 1 | 0% |
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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