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Fatal car crashes in Washington, county by county

From 2020 through 2024, 3,530 people died in 3,253 crashes on Washington roads. That is 8.9 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, below the US rate of 12.1, and the 42nd highest rate of the 50 states and DC.

King County had the most deaths (718). The road stretch with the most fatal crashes was I-5 in King County (66). In 2024, 730 people were killed, 27% more than in 2020.

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · checked October 2, 2026

3,530

people killed in crashes, 2020-2024

8.9

deaths a year per 100,000 residents, 42nd highest of 51 (US 12.1)

682

pedestrians killed, 19% of deaths (US 18%)

32%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related (US 28%)

Death rate by county

Deaths a year per 100,000 residents, 2020-2024. Rural counties often rank highest: fewer people, faster roads and longer waits for an ambulance.

Adams County: 33.3 per 100,000 a year, 35 deathsBenton County: 9.4 per 100,000 a year, 103 deathsChelan County: 10.3 per 100,000 a year, 42 deathsClallam County: 9.2 per 100,000 a year, 36 deathsClark County: 7.3 per 100,000 a year, 192 deathsCowlitz County: 12.8 per 100,000 a year, 73 deathsDouglas County: 12.2 per 100,000 a year, 28 deathsFerry County: 34.5 per 100,000 a year, 13 deathsFranklin County: 8.5 per 100,000 a year, 43 deathsGrant County: 23.5 per 100,000 a year, 123 deathsGrays Harbor County: 13.9 per 100,000 a year, 54 deathsIsland County: 8.6 per 100,000 a year, 37 deathsJefferson County: 15.9 per 100,000 a year, 27 deathsKing County: 6.1 per 100,000 a year, 718 deathsKitsap County: 6.5 per 100,000 a year, 91 deathsKittitas County: 20.8 per 100,000 a year, 50 deathsKlickitat County: 14.9 per 100,000 a year, 18 deathsLewis County: 12.2 per 100,000 a year, 53 deathsLincoln County: 30.3 per 100,000 a year, 18 deathsMason County: 23 per 100,000 a year, 80 deathsOkanogan County: 17.4 per 100,000 a year, 39 deathsPacific County: 13.2 per 100,000 a year, 16 deathsPend Oreille County: 19.5 per 100,000 a year, 14 deathsPierce County: 10.1 per 100,000 a year, 476 deathsSkagit County: 12.2 per 100,000 a year, 81 deathsSkamania County: 30 per 100,000 a year, 19 deathsSnohomish County: 5.9 per 100,000 a year, 253 deathsSpokane County: 9.5 per 100,000 a year, 265 deathsStevens County: 14.3 per 100,000 a year, 35 deathsThurston County: 8 per 100,000 a year, 121 deathsWalla Walla County: 9 per 100,000 a year, 28 deathsWhatcom County: 6.4 per 100,000 a year, 75 deathsWhitman County: 7 per 100,000 a year, 17 deathsYakima County: 18.3 per 100,000 a year, 236 deaths
under 1010-1515-2020-3030+ too few crashes

The most dangerous roads in Washington

Fatal crashes by road within each county, 2020-2024. A long interstate shows up once per county it crosses.

#RoadWhereFatal crashesDeaths
1 I-5 King County, WA 66 72
2 SR-99 Aurora Ave N King County, WA 58 61
3 SR-7 Pierce County, WA 54 57
4 I-5 Pierce County, WA 36 41
5 US-2 Spokane County, WA 35 38
6 I-5 Snohomish County, WA 28 30
7 SR-20 Skagit County, WA 28 29
8 SR-99 Snohomish County, WA 28 29
9 I-82 Yakima County, WA 24 27
10 I-90 King County, WA 23 27
11 US-97 Yakima County, WA 23 24
12 I-90 Kittitas County, WA 22 29
13 I-5 Thurston County, WA 22 25
14 SR-18 Ramp 018S101091 King County, WA 22 22
15 I-90 Ramp 090S128446 Spokane County, WA 19 20

Deaths by year

Every Washington county

34 counties with 10 or more fatal crashes in five years, by deaths. 5 more had fewer than 10 and are listed after the table.

CountyDeaths 2020-24Per 100K a yearPedestriansPopulation
King County 718 6.1 228 2,340,211
Pierce County 476 10.1 97 941,170
Spokane County 265 9.5 68 555,947
Snohomish County 253 5.9 66 864,113
Yakima County 236 18.3 29 258,523
Clark County 192 7.3 42 527,269
Grant County 123 23.5 10 104,717
Thurston County 121 8.0 24 302,912
Benton County 103 9.4 6 218,190
Kitsap County 91 6.5 15 281,420
Skagit County 81 12.2 9 132,736
Mason County 80 23.0 8 69,632
Whatcom County 75 6.4 22 234,954
Cowlitz County 73 12.8 8 113,982
Grays Harbor County 54 13.9 8 77,893
Lewis County 53 12.2 6 87,049
Kittitas County 50 20.8 4 48,172
Franklin County 43 8.5 6 101,238
Chelan County 42 10.3 1 81,228
Okanogan County 39 17.4 5 44,942
Island County 37 8.6 6 86,478
Clallam County 36 9.2 3 77,958
Adams County 35 33.3 2 21,039
Stevens County 35 14.3 1 49,015
Douglas County 28 12.2 2 45,795
Walla Walla County 28 9.0 0 62,068
Jefferson County 27 15.9 2 33,944
Skamania County 19 30.0 0 12,660
Klickitat County 18 14.9 0 24,124
Lincoln County 18 30.3 0 11,862
Whitman County 17 7.0 1 48,399
Pacific County 16 13.2 0 24,245
Pend Oreille County 14 19.5 2 14,332
Ferry County 13 34.5 1 7,543

Fewer than 10 fatal crashes, 2020-2024: Asotin County (7 deaths), Columbia County (1 death), Garfield County (4 deaths), San Juan County (7 deaths), Wahkiakum County (2 deaths).

What was involved

FactorWashingtonShareUS
Speeding was a factor
a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions		 1,043 32% 28%
A driver had been drinking
police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver		 983 30% 26%
A large truck was involved
a truck over 10,000 lbs		 358 11% 13%
Hit-and-run
a driver left the scene		 242 7% 7%
Pedestrians killed
share of all deaths		 682 19% 18%
Motorcyclists killed
share of all deaths		 573 16% 15%
Bicyclists killed
share of all deaths		 66 2% 3%
Teens (15-19) killed
share of all deaths		 240 7% 7%

After a crash in Washington

  1. Get the crash report

    Local police departments send requesters to WSP: the Seattle Police page says 'Washington State Patrol is the custodian of all collision reports within the State of Washington. You can request a copy of any collision report through their website,' and for collisions outside Seattle, contact the local agency or search the WSP collision report search.

    How to get a Washington crash report

  2. Know your deadline

    Washington gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080(2)). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: Before suing a city, county or other local government for damages, you must present a claim to its designated agent and wait 60 calendar days; the limitation period is tolled during those 60 days. (The three-year limitation period still applies.)

    Work out your date

  3. Who pays

    Washington is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.

    Washington car accident laws

  4. If you were partly at fault

    You can recover even if you were mostly at fault; your damages are reduced in proportion to your share of fault and you are never barred outright.

    The rule and its statute

  5. The other driver’s minimum coverage

    The legal minimum liability coverage in Washington is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $10,000 for property (25/50/10).

    Every state’s minimums

Check your deadline and a rough claim range

A filing date and a rough value range for Washington. Both take under a minute.

Check my deadline Estimate my claim