Free Tool · Official Death Rates
Odds of Dying in a Car Crash
Quick answer: in the United States the odds are about 1 in 8,696 a year and 1 in 112 over a lifetime (NHTSA, 2024). In the UK they are about 1 in 34,483 a year and in Canada about 1 in 20,408. Pick any country, US state or Canadian province below.
Questions
Odds of dying in a car crash — FAQ
What are the odds of dying in a car crash in the US?
With 11.5 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2024 (NHTSA FARS), the odds for an average American are about 1 in 8,696 in a year and about 1 in 112 over a 78-year lifetime if that risk stayed the same. Per distance, the US recorded 1.19 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles.
What are the odds of dying in a car crash in the UK?
The WHO estimate for the United Kingdom is 2.9 road deaths per 100,000 people, so about 1 in 34,483 a year and 1 in 443 over a lifetime, among the lowest in the world.
What are the odds of dying in a car crash in Canada?
Transport Canada recorded 4.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023: about 1 in 20,408 a year and 1 in 262 over a lifetime.
What are the odds of dying in a car crash on any given day?
In the US, about 1 in 3,173,913 on an average day. The risk is not spread evenly: nights, weekends, holidays such as July 4 and New Year's Day, rural roads and driving after drinking all raise it.
Which country has the lowest and highest odds?
Among WHO estimates, Maldives has the lowest rate (0.9 per 100,000, about 1 in 111,111 a year) and Dominican Republic the highest (64.6, about 1 in 1,548). The population-weighted world average is 16.1 per 100,000.
How are these odds calculated?
Yearly odds are the official death rate per 100,000 people turned into "1 in N". Daily odds divide the yearly risk by 365. Lifetime odds assume the same yearly risk for 78 years. These are averages for everyone who lives there, drivers and non-drivers, so your own risk depends on how much, where and how you travel.
Sources: WHO road traffic death rate estimates (countries), NHTSA FARS 2024 via IIHS state tables (US, including deaths per 100 million vehicle miles), Transport Canada Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics 2023 (provinces, including deaths per billion vehicle-km). These are population averages, not a personal prediction. See the methodology.