Arizona Car Accident Statistics

The total number of crashes in 2018 was 127,056. This is roughly the same number of crashes as in 2017 (127,805). There were a total of 1,010 fatalities in those crashes with about a quarter involving alcohol as part of the reason for the crash (242). About half of the crashes resulted in injuries that were reported (55,879), but it’s very likely there are many more injuries that occurred but were not reported. Pedestrian injuries and fatalities totaled to almost 1800 in 2018 (245 fatalities) and Pedalcyclist injuries and fatalities stood at 1206 with 24 deaths reported. Boiling these and other important statistics down into easy to digest numbers, we observed the following:

One person was killed on the roads every 8 hours and 39 minutes. We need to be very cognizant of the responsibility and potential dangers that go along with operating a motor vehicle.

Alcohol related crashes occurred over 3 times more in Urban vs. Rural areas. More people and more cars lead to more crashes. Defensive driving is key in high-traffic environments.

Multi-vehicle crashes accounted for 75.25% of all crashes. By far, most crashes involve more than one vehicle. Many could be avoided using defensive driving strategies.

72.9% of crashes occurred during daylight hours. More people on the roads in daylight hours and people taking their environment for granted when compared to driving at night are 2 likely reasons for this statistic.

2-3% of Arizona drivers are involved in a motor vehicle crash every year (based on the last 5 years’ data). Because not all drivers are on the road at the same time, the number of drivers involved in a crash at any given time could be higher.

There is UNBELIEVABLE financial costs to the people and the state because of motor vehicle crashes…Almost 20 BILIION DOLLARS ($19,348,650,824 in 2018 alone)!!

• Fatalities- $9.6 Billion
• Suspected Serious Injuries- $2.0 Billion
• Possible Injuries- $2.93 Billion
• Property Damage Only- $971 Million

When crashes most frequently happen…the most dangerous days to drive

• Holidays (In order of most dangerous by the number of fatal crashes):
• Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Labor Day
• Memorial Day
• Thanksgiving
• July 4

Weather Conditions (In order of most dangerous by number of crashes)

• Clear
• Cloudy
• Rain
• Blowing Sand, Soil, Dirt
• Fog, Smog, Smoke

Road Conditions (In order of most dangerous by number of crashes)

• Dry
• Wet
• Mud, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
• Water (standing or moving)

Time of Day (In order of most dangerous by number of crashes)

• 3:00-6:00pm
• 6:00-9:00am
• 12:00noon-3:00pm

Day of the week (In order of most dangerous by number of crashes)

• Friday
• Thursday
• Wednesday

Month with the most crashes (In order of most dangerous by number of crashes): October

In case we want the top 3 months for crashes in AZ, it’s:

1. October
2. November
3. March

July is the least number, then June, then May. I wonder if this is b/c of all the “snowbirds” that leave the state during these months.

A few more alcohol stats:

Economic loss due to alcohol related crashes in AZ for 2018: $3.14 Billion (includes fatalities, injuries and property damage) 

40% of collisions were categorized as “rear end”.

Most alcohol related crashes are during dark hours, on dry roads, with male drivers aged 25-34 being a the highest risk and 35-44 the next highest risk.