States › Delaware › Routes › US Route 40
US Route 40
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 36Deaths 37Counties 1Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 40 in Delaware was the trafficway in 36 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 37 people died.
That is 3% of the 1,209 fatal crashes in Delaware over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 33% from 27 in 2005–2014 to 36 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in New Castle County (36).
13.9% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Delaware: 25.0%) and 16.7% had a speeding-related driver (28.8%); pedestrians were 48.6% and motorcyclists 8.1% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Delaware
| Measure | US Route 40 | Delaware |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 36 | 1,209 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 37 | 1,287 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 3% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +33% | +14% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-40 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Castle County | 36 | 100% | 580 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 40 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Delaware share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 13 | 36% |
| Mile 5–10 | 11 | 31% |
| Mile 10–15 | 3 | 8% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 75% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Delaware
- US Route 13 159
- State Route 1 100
- Interstate 95 51
- US Route 113 41
- State Route 4 29
- Interstate 495 24
- State Route 9 24
- State Route 24 22
- State Route 2 20
- US Route 9 20
All routes and counties in Delaware
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 40 in Delaware?
36 fatal crashes with 37 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 40 had the most fatal crashes?
New Castle County (36).
What share of crashes on US Route 40 involved alcohol or speeding?
13.9% had a driver reported as drinking and 16.7% a speeding-related driver, against 25.0% and 28.8% for all fatal crashes in Delaware.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 40?
63.9% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.