NHTSA FARS 2020–2024 · fatal crashes
Wrong-Way Crashes by State
Quick answer: 1,065 people died in 791 fatal wrong-way crashes (a driver going the wrong way on a divided highway, ramp or one-way road) in the US from 2020 to 2024. 74% happened in the dark and in 55% police reported a driver had been drinking. Texas recorded the most deaths (325).
United States
Deaths by year
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 182 | 230 | 282 | 175 | 196 |
Ranked by deaths per 100,000 residents a year
Every state
| # | State | Wrong-way deaths | Crashes | Per 100k / yr | In the dark | Alcohol | Wrong side of 2-way road (deaths) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | 46 | 32 | 0.3 | 75% | 56% | 56 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 38 | 25 | 0.26 | 84% | 48% | 110 |
| 3 | Alabama | 62 | 40 | 0.24 | 80% | 58% | 92 |
| 4 | Texas | 325 | 228 | 0.22 | 82% | 62% | 1,064 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 5 | 5 | 0.17 | 60% | 40% | 4 |
| 6 | Indiana | 49 | 36 | 0.14 | 86% | 47% | 35 |
| 7 | Oregon | 30 | 23 | 0.14 | 74% | 61% | 32 |
| 8 | Montana | 7 | 6 | 0.13 | 67% | 50% | 39 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 66 | 46 | 0.12 | 83% | 59% | 527 |
| 10 | Idaho | 10 | 9 | 0.1 | 67% | 44% | 15 |
| 11 | Connecticut | 14 | 9 | 0.08 | 78% | 78% | 49 |
| 12 | Maryland | 25 | 22 | 0.08 | 82% | 59% | 68 |
| 13 | North Dakota | 3 | 3 | 0.08 | 67% | 67% | 24 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 28 | 24 | 0.08 | 75% | 62% | 174 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 20 | 14 | 0.07 | 79% | 50% | 167 |
| 16 | Arizona | 23 | 16 | 0.06 | 75% | 44% | 213 |
| 17 | Illinois | 37 | 25 | 0.06 | 80% | 56% | 229 |
| 18 | Kansas | 9 | 7 | 0.06 | 57% | 57% | 117 |
| 19 | Missouri | 17 | 13 | 0.05 | 69% | 38% | 156 |
| 20 | California | 69 | 59 | 0.04 | 49% | 49% | 670 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 15 | 11 | 0.04 | 55% | 45% | 64 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 18 | 14 | 0.04 | 50% | 64% | 52 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 23 | 20 | 0.04 | 40% | 25% | 206 |
| 24 | Georgia | 15 | 11 | 0.03 | 73% | 36% | 546 |
| 25 | Maine | 2 | 2 | 0.03 | 0% | 0% | 5 |
| 26 | New Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0.03 | 67% | 67% | 61 |
| 27 | Vermont | 1 | 1 | 0.03 | 100% | 100% | 4 |
| 28 | Delaware | 1 | 1 | 0.02 | 100% | 0% | 18 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 4 | 4 | 0.02 | 50% | 50% | 103 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 5 | 4 | 0.02 | 75% | 75% | 113 |
| 31 | Michigan | 11 | 7 | 0.02 | 43% | 29% | 95 |
| 32 | Minnesota | 7 | 5 | 0.02 | 80% | 40% | 59 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 2 | 2 | 0.02 | 100% | 100% | 21 |
| 34 | New York | 24 | 23 | 0.02 | 43% | 26% | 94 |
| 35 | South Dakota | 1 | 1 | 0.02 | 100% | 100% | 18 |
| 36 | Virginia | 7 | 4 | 0.02 | 75% | 50% | 114 |
| 37 | Washington | 9 | 6 | 0.02 | 83% | 50% | 115 |
| 38 | Colorado | 4 | 4 | 0.01 | 75% | 25% | 73 |
| 39 | Florida | 16 | 12 | 0.01 | 83% | 58% | 486 |
| 40 | Iowa | 1 | 1 | 0.01 | 100% | 100% | 59 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 1 | 1 | 0.01 | 100% | 100% | 10 |
| 42 | Ohio | 8 | 8 | 0.01 | 75% | 75% | 102 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | 0.01 | 100% | 100% | 106 |
| 44 | West Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0.01 | 100% | 100% | 27 |
| 45 | Alaska | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 5 |
| 46 | District of Columbia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 4 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 2 |
| 48 | Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 118 |
| 49 | Rhode Island | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 5 |
| 50 | South Carolina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% | 0% | 115 |
| 51 | Utah | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 56 |
Wrong-way = a driver recorded as "driving wrong way on a one-way trafficway" (divided highways, ramps, one-way streets). Wrong side of a two-way road is a separate FARS code, shown on its own. Rates use average state population 2020–2024 (U.S. Census Bureau). Fatal crashes only. Source: NHTSA FARS.
Related: hit-and-run statistics by state · drunk-driving deaths by state · most dangerous counties · deadliest highways
Questions
Wrong-way crashes — FAQ
How many wrong-way crashes happen in the US?
1,065 people died in 791 fatal wrong-way crashes (a driver going the wrong way on a divided highway, ramp or one-way road) in the US from 2020 to 2024. 74% happened in the dark and in 55% police reported a driver had been drinking. Texas recorded the most deaths (325).
When do most wrong-way crashes happen?
At night: 74% of fatal wrong-way crashes 2020–2024 happened in the dark, and 55% involved a driver police reported as drinking.
Are crashes on the wrong side of a two-lane road included?
No. FARS codes those separately ("driving on the wrong side of a two-way road"); they are shown in their own column and are not added to the wrong-way total. The wrong-way figures are drivers going against traffic on one-way roads, ramps and divided highways.