Fatal Roads

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KY

State

Kentucky

Residents 4,588,372Deaths 2024 707Deaths 2015–2024 7,684Counties 120Routes with pages 62

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.

In 2024, 707 people died in 663 fatal crashes in Kentucky; the ten years 2015–2024 total 7,684 deaths in 7,075 crashes.

That is 17.1 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 45% higher than the national rate of 11.8. The ten-year total was about level between 2005–2014 (7,914) and 2015–2024 (7,684).

Relative to the national shares, alcohol (a driver reported as drinking) stands out most: 25.3% of fatal crashes against 26.3% nationally. 66.4% of the state's fatal crashes were on rural roads and 40.5% happened after dark.

Among counties with at least 50 deaths in the ten years, the highest rates per 100,000 residents were in Rockcastle County (34.6), Grayson County (32.5) and Perry County (30.7).

707deaths in 2024663 fatal crashes
17.1per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–2024US 11.8
-3%ten-year change in deaths7,914 → 7,684
25%crashes with a drinking driverUS 26%

Trend since 1975

0493985197519801985199019952000200520102015202020241975: 863 deaths1976: 854 deaths1977: 940 deaths1978: 878 deaths1979: 896 deaths1980: 820 deaths1981: 812 deaths1982: 822 deaths1983: 778 deaths1984: 754 deaths1985: 712 deaths1986: 805 deaths1987: 844 deaths1988: 838 deaths1989: 772 deaths1990: 849 deaths1991: 826 deaths1992: 815 deaths1993: 871 deaths1994: 778 deaths1995: 849 deaths1996: 842 deaths1997: 857 deaths1998: 858 deaths1999: 814 deaths2000: 820 deaths2001: 845 deaths2002: 915 deaths2003: 928 deaths2004: 964 deaths2005: 985 deaths2006: 913 deaths2007: 864 deaths2008: 825 deaths2009: 791 deaths2010: 760 deaths2011: 720 deaths2012: 746 deaths2013: 638 deaths2014: 672 deaths2015: 761 deaths2016: 834 deaths2017: 782 deaths2018: 724 deaths2019: 732 deaths2020: 780 deaths2021: 806 deaths2022: 744 deaths2023: 814 deaths2024: 707 deaths
People killed in crashes in Kentucky by year, 1975–2024. Latest point: 2024, 707 deaths.

Rate per 100,000 residents, 2000–2024

012242000200520102015202020242000: 20.32001: 20.82002: 22.42003: 22.52004: 23.32005: 23.52006: 21.62007: 20.32008: 19.22009: 18.32010: 17.52011: 16.52012: 172013: 14.52014: 15.22015: 17.22016: 18.82017: 17.62018: 16.22019: 16.42020: 17.32021: 17.92022: 16.52023: 17.92024: 15.4
Deaths per 100,000 residents in Kentucky and nationally, 2000–2024. Latest point: 2024, 15.4. this page United States

Year pages: 20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975

Compared with the nation

MeasureKentuckyUnited States
Deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–202417.111.8
Deaths per 100,000 residents, 202415.411.5
Deaths, 2015–20247,684389,190
Deaths per fatal crash1.11.1
Change vs previous ten years-3%+7%
Share of the national toll2%100%

Factors

Alcoholcrashes with a driver reported as drinking25.3%
Speedingcrashes with a speeding-related driver16.2%
Pedestriansshare of people killed11.1%
Motorcyclistsshare of people killed13.1%
Unrestrainedoccupant deaths with no restraint used52.5%
In darknesscrashes after dark40.5%
Rural roadscrashes on rural roads66.4%

tick marks the US share. Bars are shares of fatal crashes (alcohol, speeding, darkness, rural) or of people killed (pedestrians, motorcyclists, unrestrained occupants) over the ten-year window.

Counties ranked by rate

Deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024. Small counties on through routes can rank high on few deaths; the deaths column gives the scale. Counties with fewer than 10 fatal crashes in the ten years show no factor shares.

#CountyResidentsDeaths 2015–2024Per 100k / yrDeaths 2024AlcoholSpeeding
1Wolfe County6,3644058.61–219%14%
2Ballard County7,6263342.21–220%10%
3Lyon County9,0783338.4428%14%
4Gallatin County8,8053337.71–236%10%
5Breathitt County12,8044937.3438%11%
6Owsley County3,9281535.71–253%0%
7Lewis County12,8754735.6635%16%
8Todd County12,7574435.5518%5%
9Menifee County6,3412234.71–238%14%
10Rockcastle County16,2265734.6614%15%
11Butler County12,5514233.4518%5%
12Grayson County27,0708632.5323%5%
13Powell County12,9284132.4525%8%
14Nicholas County7,8162432.3322%26%
15Perry County26,7398330.71–233%8%
16Carroll County11,1113330.51–210%7%
17Trigg County14,5594329.9323%28%
18Clinton County9,1832929.9318%21%
19Carlisle County4,7771429.407%21%
20Bourbon County20,3335929.3427%19%
21Larue County15,1284329.3417%11%
22Caldwell County12,6113729.2522%13%
23Floyd County34,53210429.0914%11%
24Hart County19,9235528.71–224%28%
25Magoffin County11,1183428.5447%19%
26Jackson County13,3583728.01–221%12%
27Trimble County8,5912428.01–226%17%
28Pike County55,43016227.91922%15%
29Clay County19,5925627.81–231%22%
30Crittenden County8,9822527.81–226%9%
31Green County11,5523127.7719%3%
32Washington County12,2693327.3336%19%
33Cumberland County6,0471726.9036%21%
34McCreary County16,8244626.81–231%17%
35Marshall County31,7348426.7823%21%
36Meade County30,4427826.7535%14%
37Marion County19,8515226.71–236%11%
38Leslie County9,7292726.51–228%8%
39Breckinridge County21,2215426.3425%14%
40Bath County12,9513326.2425%18%
41Henry County16,1984125.8336%5%
42Owen County11,4352825.3340%12%
43Allen County22,0375325.1333%18%
44Lincoln County24,9106024.5826%7%
45Ohio County23,9335824.2526%13%
46Simpson County20,3504624.1524%14%
47Nelson County48,70611224.01030%20%
48Wayne County19,6294823.9424%15%
49Adair County19,2394523.5619%11%
50Whitley County37,2338523.31233%23%
51Lawrence County15,7983723.31–229%6%
52Webster County12,8543023.2336%14%
53Bell County23,0515823.1328%13%
54Montgomery County28,7716422.7418%18%
55Bracken County8,4971922.7044%17%
56Robertson County2,382522.61–2——
57Letcher County20,1394822.3419%2%
58Lee County7,3131622.3420%7%
59Hickman County4,3931022.3020%0%
60Muhlenberg County30,5126822.1511%14%
61Livingston County8,8152022.1429%24%
62Laurel County63,35313221.41825%16%
63Barren County45,6099521.4720%12%
64Pulaski County66,84213620.91826%13%
65Carter County26,0985620.9630%28%
66Woodford County27,7285620.9425%8%
67Taylor County26,8095420.8314%16%
68Fulton County6,2821320.7039%31%
69Harlan County25,0525420.6420%6%
70Knott County13,4383020.6428%3%
71Graves County36,8217520.3722%18%
72Mason County16,9563420.0742%16%
73Union County13,1782820.01–227%31%
74Grant County25,7225019.8625%14%
75Edmonson County12,6352419.6329%19%
76Metcalfe County10,5582019.6026%5%
77McLean County9,1261819.61–229%14%
78Casey County15,9483119.5350%18%
79Logan County28,4675319.3427%17%
80McCracken County67,55012719.11616%23%
81Hancock County9,0131719.11–219%25%
82Elliott County7,2631418.91–250%7%
83Mercer County23,5154218.8318%15%
84Clark County37,6736718.3913%13%
85Morgan County14,3002518.31–223%14%
86Hardin County112,82619918.02516%13%
87Russell County18,4583217.81–241%13%
88Hopkins County45,2188017.71110%19%
89Henderson County44,1757817.3523%15%
90Knox County29,6575317.3324%20%
91Garrard County18,0403017.1430%4%
92Christian County71,00612016.71118%25%
93Rowan County24,6754116.71–226%13%
94Calloway County38,9755815.0422%15%
95Martin County10,6961715.01–218%0%
96Scott County61,7008514.91417%13%
97Johnson County22,0983314.71–23%13%
98Pendleton County14,8442114.31–216%16%
99Bullitt County85,80211614.11026%17%
100Jefferson County793,8811,08814.011327%22%
101Shelby County50,1246713.91024%3%
102Boyle County31,3944213.8824%16%
103Warren County147,93617813.22124%17%
104Anderson County24,8832912.41–230%15%
105Spencer County20,8232412.41–235%22%
106Harrison County19,5252312.21–214%9%
107Jessamine County56,4956512.1326%12%
108Daviess County104,45712111.9823%20%
109Madison County99,58210911.7927%17%
110Fayette County329,43736911.53729%19%
111Fleming County15,5911711.41–227%13%
112Estill County14,0021611.31–231%0%
113Monroe County11,1631211.01–225%8%
114Franklin County52,4425110.0328%9%
115Greenup County35,273349.6526%7%
116Campbell County94,008889.4330%22%
117Boone County144,1351198.8631%23%
118Oldham County70,525598.7429%11%
119Boyd County47,777418.61–239%19%
120Kenton County174,8621086.4729%20%

Routes with the most fatal crashes

#RouteTypeFatal crashesDeathsAlcoholSpeeding
1US Route 60US highway25327124%17%
2US Route 27US highway17219720%9%
3Interstate 65Interstate16617919%16%
4US Route 68US highway16518219%16%
5Interstate 75Interstate16519418%16%
6Interstate 64Interstate15717523%17%
7US Route 25US highway14114624%10%
8US Route 31WUS highway12914118%12%
9US Route 62US highway11412111%12%
10US Route 31US highway10712022%19%
11US Route 23US highway941077%10%
12US Route 127US highway899718%11%
13State Route 61State highway838723%10%
14US Route 421US highway798619%11%
15US Route 31EUS highway768221%11%
16State Route 15State highway687816%7%
17US Route 460US highway667123%20%
18State Route 80State highway667220%12%
19Interstate 71Interstate647019%11%
20US Route 150US highway617231%25%
21US Route 42US highway535526%19%
22Interstate 24Interstate525915%15%
23State Route 11State highway515731%10%
24US Route 119US highway485925%6%
25State Route 9State highway485431%19%
26US Route 231US highway475123%11%
27State Route 70State highway474919%13%
28Interstate 264Interstate454936%20%
29State Route 90State highway425721%17%
30State Route 9002State highway425226%14%

Signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024; 62 routes in Kentucky qualify. Local streets and county roads are not listed. Long routes carry more traffic and so more crashes; this is a count, not a rate.

Time of day and day of week

12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

Fatal crashes in Kentucky by weekday and hour, 2015–2024: darker cells are busier. 7,071 crashes with a known hour and weekday.

By weekday

Saturday16%
Friday15%
Sunday14%
Thursday14%
Monday14%
Wednesday13%
Tuesday13%

Light condition

Daylight55%
Dark, not lighted29%
Dark, lighted10%
Dawn2%
Dusk2%
Dark, lighting unknown2%

Road type

Other principal arterial22%
Minor arterial20%
Major collector19%
Local15%
Interstate11%
Minor collector10%
Other freeways and expressways2%

FHWA functional classes (FARS FUNC_SYS), share of fatal crashes with a reported class; tick marks the national share. What the classes mean.

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in Kentucky in 2024?

707 people in 663 fatal crashes, per NHTSA's FARS annual file. Over 2015–2024 the total is 7,684.

How does Kentucky compare with the national rate?

17.1 deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024, against 11.8 nationally; in 2024 alone, 15.4 against 11.5.

Which counties in Kentucky have the most fatal crashes?

By deaths over 2015–2024: Jefferson County (1,088), Fayette County (369) and Hardin County (199). The county table ranks by rate per 100,000 residents instead, which is a fairer comparison across sizes.

What share of fatal crashes in Kentucky involved alcohol or speeding?

25.3% of fatal crashes in 2015–2024 had a driver reported as drinking (US: 26.3%) and 16.2% had a speeding-related driver (US: 27.2%).

Which routes in Kentucky have the most fatal crashes?

US Route 60 (253 fatal crashes, 2015–2024), US Route 27 (172 fatal crashes, 2015–2024) and Interstate 65 (166 fatal crashes, 2015–2024). Route pages exist for signed routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in the ten years.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System annual files 1975–2024; US Census Bureau Population Estimates Program. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology, sources and corrections.