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US Route 65
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 48Deaths 52Counties 10Latest 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 65 in Iowa was the trafficway in 48 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 52 people died.
That is 1.5% of the 3,140 fatal crashes in Iowa over the same years. The ten-year crash count fell 19% from 59 in 2005–2014 to 48 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Polk County (12), Cerro Gordo County (8) and Warren County (8) and 7 other counties.
25.0% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Iowa: 25.4%) and 16.7% had a speeding-related driver (20.2%); pedestrians were 7.7% and motorcyclists 13.5% 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 65 | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 48 | 3,140 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 52 | 3,477 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.5% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -19% | -9% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-65 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | 12 | 25% | 309 |
| 2 | Cerro Gordo County | 8 | 17% | 51 |
| 3 | Warren County | 8 | 17% | 51 |
| 4 | Hardin County | 5 | 10% | 26 |
| 5 | Franklin County | 4 | 8% | 13 |
| 6 | Worth County | 4 | 8% | 15 |
| 7 | Jasper County | 3 | 6% | 41 |
| 8 | Story County | 2 | 4% | 43 |
| 9 | Lucas County | 1 | 2% | 11 |
| 10 | Wayne County | 1 | 2% | 11 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 65 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 15–20 | 11 | 23% |
| Mile 10–15 | 8 | 17% |
| Mile 0–5 | 7 | 15% |
| Mile 20–25 | 7 | 15% |
| Mile 5–10 | 3 | 6% |
| Mile 25–30 | 1 | 2% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 100% 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 69 48
- Interstate 29 43
- US Route 18 41
- US Route 151 39
All routes and counties in Iowa
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 65 in Iowa?
48 fatal crashes with 52 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 65 had the most fatal crashes?
Polk County (12), Cerro Gordo County (8), Warren County (8), Hardin County (5) and Franklin County (4).
What share of crashes on US Route 65 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.0% had a driver reported as drinking and 16.7% a speeding-related driver, against 25.4% and 20.2% for all fatal crashes in Iowa.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 65?
50.0% 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.