Policy Study

25th Annual Highway Report: Urban Fatality Rate

Twenty-seven states reported an increase in their urban fatality rates .

The urban fatality rate measures fatalities on all urban arterials in the state.

The nation’s urban highway fatality rate worsened slightly from 0.77 in 2016 to 0.78 in 2018, (Table 19, Urban Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, 2018, Figure  14). The urban fatality rate has increased over the last several years after a decades-long downward trend. While there is no one cause, distracted driving appears to be the biggest contributor. In 2018, 10,777 urban fatalities were reported, more than the 9,917 urban fatalities reported in 2016, as urban VMT (vehicle-miles of travel) increased to 1.31 trillion from 1.29 trillion in 2016. There were more urban fatalities in 2018 than in any year since 2007.

For 2016, Maine reported the lowest urban fatality rate, 0.14, while New Mexico reported the highest, 1.58. Twenty-seven states reported an increase in their urban fatality rates compared to 2016, led by Mississippi, Alaska, and Idaho, which worsened 1.06, 0.5 and 0.38 points, respectively.

Twenty-three states saw their fatality rate decrease, led by Wyoming, Kansas, and Montana, which improved by 0.63, 0.48, and 0.32 points, respectively.

Urban Highway Fatality Rate (Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles Traveled)
2018 RankStateFatality Rate Per 100 Million Urban Vehicle-Miles
1Maine0.14
2Montana0.21
3Vermont0.25
4Minnesota0.29
5New York0.32
6Wyoming0.4
7Iowa0.43
8Massachusetts0.44
8South Dakota0.44
10North Dakota0.48
11Virginia0.49
12Kansas0.5
12Wisconsin0.5
14Nebraska0.55
14Ohio0.55
16Rhode Island0.59
17Delaware0.61
18New Hampshire0.63
19Oregon0.64
19Washington0.64
21Indiana0.66
22Illinois0.71
23New Jersey0.72
23Maryland0.72
25Michigan0.76
25North Carolina0.76
27Connecticut0.77
28Utah0.81
28California0.81
30Missouri0.85
31Oklahoma0.86
32Pennsylvania0.88
33Colorado0.92
34Kentucky0.93
34Tennessee0.93
36Alabama0.98
37Nevada1.04
38Georgia1.05
39Idaho1.06
39Texas1.06
41West Virginia1.07
42Mississippi1.12
43Florida1.15
44South Carolina1.17
45Louisiana1.21
46Arkansas1.23
47Hawaii1.3
48Arizona1.44
49Alaska1.54
50New Mexico1.58
View national trends and state-by-state performances by category:
overall
Overall
total-disbursements-per-mile
Total Disbursements Per Mile
capital-bridge-disbursements-per-mile
Capital & Bridge Disbursements Per Mile
maintenance-disbursements-per-mile
Maintenance Disbursements Per Mile
administrative-disbursements-per-mile
Administrative Disbursements Per Mile
rural-interstate-percent-poor-condition
Rural Interstate Pavement Condition
rural-other-principal-arterial-percent-narrow-lanes
Rural Arterial Pavement Condition
urban-interstate-percent-poor-condition
Urban Interstate Pavement Condition
rural-other-principal-arterial-percent-poor-condition
Urban Arterial Pavement Condition
urbanized-area-congestion-peak-hours-spent-in-congestion-per-auto-commuter
Urbanized Area Congestion
bridges-percent-deficient
Structurally Deficient Bridges
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Overall Fatality Rate
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Rural Fatality Rate
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Urban Fatality Rate