States › Kentucky › Routes › US Route 42
US Route 42
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 53Deaths 55Counties 6Latest 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.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 53 fatal crashes on US Route 42 in Kentucky, with 55 deaths.
That is 0.7% of the 7,075 fatal crashes in Kentucky over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 10% from 48 in 2005–2014 to 53 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Boone County (13), Gallatin County (12) and Oldham County (12) and 3 other counties.
26.4% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Kentucky: 25.3%) and 18.9% had a speeding-related driver (16.2%); pedestrians were 21.8% and motorcyclists 16.4% 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 Kentucky
| Measure | US Route 42 | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 53 | 7,075 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 55 | 7,684 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.7% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +10% | -3% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-42 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boone County | 13 | 25% | 106 |
| 2 | Gallatin County | 12 | 23% | 31 |
| 3 | Oldham County | 12 | 23% | 56 |
| 4 | Jefferson County | 7 | 13% | 1,039 |
| 5 | Carroll County | 5 | 9% | 31 |
| 6 | Trimble County | 4 | 8% | 23 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 42 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Kentucky share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 5–10 | 21 | 40% |
| Mile 10–15 | 18 | 34% |
| Mile 0–5 | 11 | 21% |
| Mile 15–20 | 3 | 6% |
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 Kentucky
- US Route 60 253
- US Route 27 172
- Interstate 65 166
- US Route 68 165
- Interstate 75 165
- Interstate 64 157
- US Route 25 141
- US Route 31W 129
- US Route 62 114
- US Route 31 107
- US Route 23 94
- US Route 127 89
All routes and counties in Kentucky
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 42 in Kentucky?
53 fatal crashes with 55 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 42 had the most fatal crashes?
Boone County (13), Gallatin County (12), Oldham County (12), Jefferson County (7) and Carroll County (5).
What share of crashes on US Route 42 involved alcohol or speeding?
26.4% had a driver reported as drinking and 18.9% a speeding-related driver, against 25.3% and 16.2% for all fatal crashes in Kentucky.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 42?
43.4% 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.