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1978

District of Columbia in 1978

Deaths 49Fatal crashes 47Per 100,000 —US deaths 50,331

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. Final FARS file for 1978.

In 1978, 49 people died in 47 fatal crashes in District of Columbia.

The death toll fell 16% from 58 in 1977 to 49 in 1978.

District of Columbia accounted for 0.1% of the 50,331 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

27.7% of the state's fatal crashes that year had at least one driver reported as drinking.

38% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Tuesday was the most common day.

← 197719781979 →All years

Compared with 1977 and the nation

Measure	District of Columbia 1978	District of Columbia 1977	United States 1978
Deaths	49	58	50,331
Fatal crashes	47	57	44,433
Deaths per 100,000 residents	—	—	—
Crashes with a drinking driver	28%	26%	36%

Counties in 1978

Every county with a fatal crash in 1978, by deaths. Counts under three are shown as "1–2" (small-count rule); the per-100,000 column is blank for them. 1 counties listed.

County	Fatal crashes	Deaths	Per 100,000	Deaths 2015–2024
District of Columbia	47	49	7.0	335

Per 100,000 uses the 2024 population estimate for every year, so early-year rates are understated where a county has grown.

Hour of day

12am2.1%

1am0%

2am4.3%

3am2.1%

4am4.3%

5am4.3%

6am0%

7am4.3%

8am0%

9am6.4%

10am6.4%

11am2.1%

12pm2.1%

1pm4.3%

2pm2.1%

3pm6.4%

4pm6.4%

5pm4.3%

6pm10.6%

7pm6.4%

8pm0%

9pm4.3%

10pm14.9%

11pm2.1%

Weekday

Sunday9%

Monday6%

Tuesday21%

Wednesday17%

Thursday21%

Friday9%

Saturday17%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in District of Columbia in 1978?

49 people in 47 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 1978 file.

Which county in District of Columbia had the most crash deaths in 1978?

District of Columbia with 49 deaths in 47 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 1978 compare with 1977 in District of Columbia?

49 deaths against 58 in 1977 (+-16%). Nationally the 1978 total was 50,331.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 1978 national file (accident table); US Census Bureau population estimates (no county estimates before 2000 are used, so no rate is shown for this year). Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.