States › Virginia › Routes › US Route 17
US Route 17
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 164Deaths 172Counties 14Latest 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 17 in Virginia was the trafficway in 164 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 172 people died.
That is 2% of the 8,138 fatal crashes in Virginia over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 50% from 109 in 2005–2014 to 164 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Gloucester County (30), Fauquier County (26) and Newport News city (19) and 11 other counties.
25.0% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Virginia: 29.4%) and 23.8% had a speeding-related driver (28.8%); pedestrians were 19.2% and motorcyclists 14.5% 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 Virginia
| Measure | US Route 17 | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 164 | 8,138 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 172 | 8,664 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 2% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +50% | +7% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-17 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucester County | 30 | 18% | 56 |
| 2 | Fauquier County | 26 | 16% | 131 |
| 3 | Newport News city | 19 | 12% | 163 |
| 4 | Chesapeake city | 14 | 9% | 173 |
| 5 | Essex County | 13 | 8% | 28 |
| 6 | Stafford County | 12 | 7% | 100 |
| 7 | Isle of Wight County | 9 | 5% | 63 |
| 8 | York County | 9 | 5% | 68 |
| 9 | Spotsylvania County | 8 | 5% | 157 |
| 10 | Portsmouth city | 8 | 5% | 83 |
| 11 | Caroline County | 6 | 4% | 77 |
| 12 | Suffolk city | 5 | 3% | 101 |
| 13 | Middlesex County | 4 | 2% | 26 |
| 14 | Wythe County | 1 | 1% | 72 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 17 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Virginia share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 22 | 13% |
| Mile 50–55 | 11 | 7% |
| Mile 40–45 | 9 | 5% |
| Mile 75–80 | 9 | 5% |
| Mile 25–30 | 7 | 4% |
| Mile 70–75 | 7 | 4% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 98.8% 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 Virginia
- Interstate 95 290
- Interstate 64 277
- US Route 58 259
- US Route 460 242
- Interstate 81 241
- US Route 1 203
- US Route 29 193
- US Route 360 141
- US Route 60 138
- US Route 11 136
- US Route 13 108
- US Route 220 92
All routes and counties in Virginia
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 17 in Virginia?
164 fatal crashes with 172 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 17 had the most fatal crashes?
Gloucester County (30), Fauquier County (26), Newport News city (19), Chesapeake city (14) and Essex County (13).
What share of crashes on US Route 17 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.0% had a driver reported as drinking and 23.8% a speeding-related driver, against 29.4% and 28.8% for all fatal crashes in Virginia.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 17?
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.