Deadliest Month for Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents by State & Involvement, 2024

This table highlights the most dangerous month for fatal car accidents by state, region, and involvement type: total fatal accidents, DUI-involved fatal accidents, speeding-involved, distracted driving-Involved, and pedestrian-involved. The data reveals a clear seasonal trend in traffic deaths nationwide, with October being the deadliest month for most states with 3,369 fatal motor vehicle accidents. Followed by August (3,342) and September (3,277).

METHODOLOGY: The deadliest‑month rankings were calculated by combining each state’s monthly fatality counts with its 2024 Census population to produce a standardized fatality rate per 100,000 residents. For every state, monthly totals were converted into rates using the formula (Fatalities ÷ Population) × 100,000, allowing states of different sizes to be compared on equal footing. The highest monthly rate was identified as the state’s deadliest month, and if two months shared the same rate, the month with the higher raw fatality count was selected. This process was repeated across all five datasets—overall fatalities, DUI, speeding, distracted driving, and pedestrian deaths—to ensure consistent, category‑specific comparisons.
Chart: Sweet JamesSource: NHTSAGet the data Download imageCreated with Datawrapper