Fatal crashes in the United States in 1979
In 1979, 51,093 people died in 45,223 fatal crashes on US roads, 1.5% more than in 1978. That is about 140 deaths a day. In 1980, deaths fell to 51,091, about the same as in 1979.
1978 · 1980 · All states today.
US road deaths since 1975, with 1979 marked
Deaths within 30 days of a crash on a public road, as NHTSA counts them.
Road deaths by state in 1979
California, Texas and Florida together had 24% of the deaths. Deaths rose in 28 states and fell in 23 on the year before; the largest change was in Vermont, 34% up. 1979 was the peak year since 1975.
| State | Deaths, 1979 | Fatal crashes | Change on 1978 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 5,542 | 4,975 | +4.4% |
| 2 | Texas | 4,168 | 3,628 | +6.5% |
| 3 | Florida | 2,593 | 2,322 | +16.0% |
| 4 | New York | 2,396 | 2,217 | -1.6% |
| 5 | Ohio | 2,281 | 2,010 | +11.4% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 2,153 | 1,923 | +3.5% |
| 7 | Illinois | 2,017 | 1,777 | -5.7% |
| 8 | Michigan | 1,823 | 1,638 | -9.8% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,527 | 1,352 | +2.3% |
| 10 | Georgia | 1,524 | 1,331 | +3.5% |
| 11 | Indiana | 1,299 | 1,147 | +2.6% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 1,210 | 1,045 | -2.5% |
| 13 | Louisiana | 1,195 | 1,050 | +10.8% |
| 14 | Missouri | 1,147 | 989 | -3.6% |
| 15 | New Jersey | 1,142 | 1,052 | +1.6% |
| 16 | Arizona | 1,029 | 876 | +0.2% |
| 17 | Virginia | 1,016 | 923 | -4.4% |
| 18 | Washington | 1,015 | 894 | +3.0% |
| 19 | Alabama | 998 | 885 | -12.6% |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 985 | 867 | +1.4% |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 917 | 855 | +6.5% |
| 22 | South Carolina | 900 | 795 | +1.9% |
| 23 | Kentucky | 896 | 795 | +2.1% |
| 24 | Minnesota | 867 | 776 | -9.9% |
| 25 | Oklahoma | 853 | 733 | -5.3% |
| 26 | Mississippi | 715 | 630 | -8.8% |
| 27 | Colorado | 691 | 618 | -0.4% |
| 28 | Oregon | 676 | 601 | -4.5% |
| 29 | Maryland | 671 | 605 | -5.6% |
| 30 | Iowa | 655 | 566 | +2.7% |
| 31 | New Mexico | 633 | 555 | -5.4% |
| 32 | Connecticut | 568 | 514 | +25.7% |
| 33 | Arkansas | 548 | 476 | -4.0% |
| 34 | Kansas | 519 | 451 | -9.3% |
| 35 | West Virginia | 512 | 446 | +12.0% |
| 36 | Nevada | 354 | 298 | +16.1% |
| 37 | Idaho | 333 | 285 | +1.8% |
| 38 | Montana | 332 | 275 | +23.0% |
| 39 | Nebraska | 330 | 277 | -2.9% |
| 40 | Utah | 321 | 282 | -13.2% |
| 41 | Wyoming | 244 | 198 | +1.2% |
| 42 | Maine | 236 | 200 | -0.4% |
| 43 | South Dakota | 211 | 169 | +10.5% |
| 44 | Hawaii | 205 | 183 | +5.7% |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 184 | 159 | +7.6% |
| 46 | Vermont | 159 | 130 | +33.6% |
| 47 | North Dakota | 128 | 114 | -29.3% |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 123 | 105 | +13.9% |
| 49 | Delaware | 118 | 109 | -5.6% |
| 50 | Alaska | 90 | 80 | -29.1% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 44 | 42 | -10.2% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Download every state in every year as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/fatal-crashes/1979/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”
Rates per 100,000 residents are given for 2015 onward, the years the site holds population estimates for.
Questions about US road deaths in 1979
- How many people died in car accidents in the United States in 1979?
- 51,093 people died in 45,223 fatal crashes on US public roads in 1979, 1.5% more than in 1978. That is about 140 deaths a day. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which state had the most road deaths in 1979?
- California, with 5,542 deaths in 4,975 fatal crashes. Texas was second with 4,168 and Florida third with 2,593.
- Is 1979 the latest year available?
- No. The latest year NHTSA has published is 2024; the 1979 figures are final.
Where the 1979 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System file for 1979, the final file. Rates per 100,000 use Census Bureau population estimates. News reports from 1979 often quote NHTSA's early estimate, made before the file was complete, so their totals differ from the final count here. The full method.