Washtenaw County, Michigan: fatal crash statistics

Counties of Michigan by year (CSV)Cite this page

FARS records 35 deaths in 32 fatal crashes in Washtenaw County in 2024.

FARS records 282 deaths in 260 fatal crashes in the county from 2015 to 2024.

From 2015 to 2024 the rate is 7.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year.

The rate of Michigan in the same years is 10.6.

By deaths from 2015 to 2024, Washtenaw County was number 7 of 83 counties of Michigan.

Deaths in Washtenaw County fell by 5.4% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (298) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (282).

In the counties of Michigan the deaths rose by 8.1% between the same years.

From 2015 to 2024, 32.2% of the fatal crashes in Washtenaw County with a known setting were rural, against 40.6% in Michigan.

To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on 2 Oct 2026.

This page rests on the FARS 2024 annual file. NHTSA released it on 1 Apr 2026. NHTSA can revise the counts in the final file. Release dates

Figure 1.Deaths in Washtenaw County by year, 2015 to 2024

Table 1 has the numbers. Go to the table

Since the last update: no figure of this county has a change on record.

Deaths and fatal crashes by year

Table 1.Washtenaw County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 2015 to 2024
Year	Deaths	Fatal crashes	Crashes with a driver recorded as drinking
2024	35	32	9
2023	22	20	6
2022	24	21	7
2021	30	28	11
2020	26	23	5
2019	26	24	7
2018	27	25	8
2017	39	37	13
2016	26	24	4
2015	27	26	8
2015 to 2024	282	260	78

Each year from 1975

Figure 2.Deaths in Washtenaw County by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 68 (1977)2024: 35

The columns with a stronger shade are the years 2015 to 2024.

Table 2.Washtenaw County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 1975 to 2024
Year	Deaths	Fatal crashes
2024	35	32
2023	22	20
2022	24	21
2021	30	28
2020	26	23
2019	26	24
2018	27	25
2017	39	37
2016	26	24
2015	27	26
2014	30	29
2013	33	30
2012	23	22
2011	35	33
2010	20	20
2009	27	26
2008	31	29
2007	29	29
2006	35	33
2005	35	32
2004	29	26
2003	35	33
2002	24	24
2001	38	33
2000	44	36
1999	39	37
1998	33	31
1997	39	36
1996	32	26
1995	49	44
1994	42	40
1993	41	38
1992	32	32
1991	30	29
1990	46	41
1989	48	42
1988	37	36
1987	40	37
1986	37	33
1985	42	36
1984	58	50
1983	33	30
1982	37	34
1981	37	34
1980	40	34
1979	57	52
1978	62	56
1977	68	59
1976	48	42
1975	40	37

Note: a count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2". A death is in FARS when it occurs in 30 days or less after the crash.

Rate for each 100,000 residents

Table 3.Washtenaw County beside Michigan and the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents
Period	Washtenaw County	Michigan	United States
2024	9.5	10.9	11.5
2015 to 2024, in a year	7.7	10.6	11.8

Note: the rate divides the deaths in the county by its residents. Persons who do not live in the county are in the deaths, not in the residents.

Population: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. Washtenaw County had 368,956 residents in 2024.

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.Washtenaw County: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
Factor	Count	Counted among	Share	Share in Michigan
A driver recorded as drinkingof 260 fatal crashes	78	260 fatal crashes	30.0%	28.1%
A speeding-related driverof 260 fatal crashes	67	260 fatal crashes	25.8%	25.4%
No restraint usedof 161 occupant deaths with restraint use known	64	161 occupant deathswith restraint use known	39.8%	39.4%
Pedestriansof 282 deaths	38	282 deaths	13.5%	15.2%
Bicyclistsof 282 deaths	16	282 deaths	5.7%	2.8%
Motorcyclistsof 282 deaths	40	282 deaths	14.2%	15.2%
On a rural roadof 255 fatal crashes with the condition reported	82	255 fatal crasheswith the condition reported	32.2%	40.6%
In the darkof 259 fatal crashes with the condition reported	123	259 fatal crasheswith the condition reported	47.5%	46.3%

Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure, which uses a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher. One crash can be in two or more rows. NHTSA's definitions

Note that alcohol data is often missing. For that reason, this data element may under-count the actual number of drinking drivers.

NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on 2 Oct 2026.

Weekday, time and road class

Table 5.Washtenaw County: fatal crashes by weekday and time of day, 2015 to 2024
Weekday	Midnight to 6 a.m.	6 a.m. to noon	Noon to 6 p.m.	6 p.m. to midnight	All
Sunday	9	4	8	9	30
Monday	5	7	14	14	40
Tuesday	0	8	10	16	34
Wednesday	9	9	16	15	49
Thursday	3	4	5	9	21
Friday	3	6	14	17	40
Saturday	12	4	11	19	46
All days	41	42	78	99	260

Note: a cell with a stronger shade has a larger count. The table has the fatal crashes with a known hour and weekday.

Table 6.Washtenaw County: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function class	Fatal crashes	Share	Share in Michigan
Interstate	35	13.7%	9.0%
Other freeways and expressways	28	10.9%	4.0%
Other principal arterial	57	22.3%	27.7%
Minor arterial	66	25.8%	26.1%
Major collector	38	14.8%	18.4%
Minor collector	3	1.2%	1.7%
Local	29	11.3%	13.2%
Not reported	4	n/a	n/a

Note: the classes are those of the Federal Highway Administration. The shares are of the crashes with a reported class. Road function classes

Light condition and weather

Table 7.Washtenaw County: fatal crashes by light condition, 2015 to 2024
Light condition	Fatal crashes
Daylight	120
Dark, not lighted	100
Dark, lighted	22
Dawn	6
Dusk	10
Dark, lighting unknown	1 or 2
Other or unknown	1 or 2

Table 8.Washtenaw County: fatal crashes by weather, 2015 to 2024
Weather	Fatal crashes
Clear	161
Cloudy	63
Rain	20
Snow, sleet or freezing rain	11
Fog, smog or smoke	1 or 2
Crosswinds or blowing sand/snow	1 or 2
Other or not reported	1 or 2

Routes in the county

Table 9.Signed routes in Washtenaw County that have a page: fatal crashes, 2015 to 2024
Route	Type	In Washtenaw	In all of Michigan
Interstate 94	Interstate	34	288
State Route 14	State highway	11	22
State Route 52	State highway	3	32
State Route 153	State highway	1 or 2	28
US Route 12	US highway	19	143
US Route 23	US highway	21	89

Note: the table has each route with a page that has a fatal crash in the county, in name order. Local streets and county roads have no page. Their crashes are in the county totals. All routes in Michigan

Adjacent counties

These lists are for navigation. They are in name order.

Figure 3.Washtenaw County on the county map of Michigan

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024

Fewer than 1012 counties
10 to 14.943 counties
15 to 19.919 counties
20 to 29.98 counties
30 or more1 county
Washtenaw County: 7.7

The limits of the classes are the same for every state. A county with few residents can show a high rate from few deaths. A class is not a judgement of a county. The full map and the table of counties of Michigan

Table 10.Counties that share a boundary line with Washtenaw County
County	State	Deaths, 2024	Deaths, 2015 to 2024	For each 100,000 residents in a year
Jackson County	Michigan	23	206	12.9
Lenawee County	Michigan	23	148	15.0
Livingston County	Michigan	14	170	8.8
Monroe County	Michigan	20	202	13.2
Oakland County	Michigan	68	667	5.3
Wayne County	Michigan	177	1,948	11.0

Source of the list: Census Bureau county adjacency file, 2026 edition.

Counties of similar population

These counties of Michigan have a population nearest to that of Washtenaw County. The list is for navigation and is in name order. The number is the deaths from 2015 to 2024.

Official channels

NHTSA Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)NHTSA's query tool for FARS counts.
NHTSA FARS EncyclopediaNHTSA's tables of FARS data.
Michigan Office of Highway Safety PlanningThe highway safety office of Michigan.

These links go to the sites of the agencies. They were checked on 2 Oct 2026.

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. Washtenaw County, Michigan: fatal crash statistics. https://fatalroads.com/county/mi/washtenaw/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to 31 Dec 2024.

The address of this page does not change.

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Source of the figures

Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national files of 1975 to 2024. The factors use the vehicle and person files from 2015. Residents: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, vintage 2025. Map: Census Bureau cartographic boundary file, 2021 edition. Data to 31 Dec 2024. The figures are totals. No page of this site is about one crash or one person.

How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.

Questions

How many deaths did FARS record in Washtenaw in the ten years before 2015?

FARS records 298 deaths in Washtenaw County from 2005 to 2014. It records 282 deaths from 2015 to 2024.

What was the rate of Washtenaw in 2024?

The rate of Washtenaw County in 2024 was 9.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents. The rate of Michigan was 10.9. The rate of the United States was 11.5.

How many fatal crashes in Washtenaw had a driver recorded as drinking?

FARS records a driver as drinking in 78 of 260 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. This count is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. NHTSA says that alcohol data is often missing, so the count may be too low.

How many fatal crashes did FARS record on signed routes in Washtenaw?

6 signed routes in the county have a page. FARS records 90 fatal crashes on them in the county from 2015 to 2024. The table of routes on this page gives the count for each route.