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US Route 18
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 41Deaths 48Counties 13Latest 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 18 in Iowa was the trafficway in 41 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 48 people died.
That is 1.3% of the 3,140 fatal crashes in Iowa over the same years. The ten-year crash count fell 27% from 56 in 2005–2014 to 41 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Floyd County (7), Cerro Gordo County (6) and Hancock County (4) and 10 other counties.
17.1% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Iowa: 25.4%) and 7.3% had a speeding-related driver (20.2%); pedestrians were 8.3% and motorcyclists 4.2% 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 Iowa
| Measure | US Route 18 | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 41 | 3,140 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 48 | 3,477 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.3% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -27% | -9% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-18 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Floyd County | 7 | 17% | 23 |
| 2 | Cerro Gordo County | 6 | 15% | 51 |
| 3 | Hancock County | 4 | 10% | 12 |
| 4 | Kossuth County | 4 | 10% | 18 |
| 5 | Palo Alto County | 4 | 10% | 10 |
| 6 | Sioux County | 4 | 10% | 34 |
| 7 | Chickasaw County | 3 | 7% | 16 |
| 8 | Clay County | 3 | 7% | 15 |
| 9 | O'Brien County | 2 | 5% | 19 |
| 10 | Clayton County | 1 | 2% | 30 |
| 11 | Fayette County | 1 | 2% | 26 |
| 12 | Tama County | 1 | 2% | 22 |
| 13 | Washington County | 1 | 2% | 25 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 18 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Iowa share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 10–15 | 10 | 24% |
| Mile 20–25 | 8 | 20% |
| Mile 15–20 | 7 | 17% |
| Mile 0–5 | 5 | 12% |
| Mile 5–10 | 3 | 7% |
| Mile 25–30 | 1 | 2% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 97.6% 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 Iowa
- Interstate 80 165
- US Route 30 75
- Interstate 35 66
- US Route 61 63
- US Route 34 60
- US Route 6 56
- US Route 20 55
- US Route 218 49
- US Route 65 48
- US Route 69 48
- Interstate 29 43
- US Route 151 39
All routes and counties in Iowa
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 18 in Iowa?
41 fatal crashes with 48 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 18 had the most fatal crashes?
Floyd County (7), Cerro Gordo County (6), Hancock County (4), Kossuth County (4) and Palo Alto County (4).
What share of crashes on US Route 18 involved alcohol or speeding?
17.1% had a driver reported as drinking and 7.3% a speeding-related driver, against 25.4% and 20.2% for all fatal crashes in Iowa.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 18?
17.1% 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.