Kansas – Fatal Car Crash Statistics

Kansas - Fatal Car Crash Statistics

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Traffic Safety Section is in place to help reduce the number of vehicle accidents, injuries, and fatalities. They maintain records and accident statistics and provide them to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).The report indicates that in 2015, the latest report available, there were a total of 322 fatal traffic crashes in Kansas that resulted in 355 deaths.

The fatally injured people were involved in various types of road use. These include:

133 - Cars

53 - Pickup trucks

55 – SUVs

45 – Motorcycles

24 – Pedestrians

13 – Vans

29 – Other or pedestrians

3 – Bicyclists

The report details the time of day that most accidents occur. Statistics show that 63% happen during daylight hours, 85% in good weather conditions, 82% on dry roads, 97% outside of work zones, 66% in urban locations and 74% on straight, level surfaces. Most occupants were found to be wearing their seatbelts (91.7%).

Additional Statistics

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) utilizes data provided from USDOT to provide yearly reports. These reports show data about fatal accidents in each of the states and DC. Statistics allow a comparison to be easily made between states. The national death rate for fatal accidents is 10.9 out of every 100,000 people. Kansas has a rate of 12.2, significantly higher than many states. In 2015 214 fatal crashes in the state were a single car, and 141 were multi-vehicle.

The number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is used as a standard for the calculation of deaths per 100 million VMT. The national average is 1.13 deaths for every 100,000,000 VMT. The Kansas number of deaths is 1.13, exactly the average. The report also indicates how many deaths were caused by single car or multiple car crashes. In 2015 60% of fatal crashes in the state were a single car, and 40% were multi-vehicle.

KDOT Initiatives

KDOT has a Strategic Highway Safety Plan in place. The purpose is to educate the public and work to try to reduce fatalities on the roads. The program is part of the USDOT program called Road to Zero Fatalities. Between 2010 and 2014 1,957 people lost their lives on Kansas roadways. Another 1,510 people suffered serious injuries as the result of accidents.

The plan identifies contributing factors to accidents. Some of the most important include road departure, impaired driving, failure to wear seat belt, distracted driving, speeding, older drivers, and intersections. These and other factors are addressed in programs aimed at reducing deaths on the state’s roads. Teams are in place to address these issues and provide initiatives to improve safety. The goal of the program is to cut fatalities in half over the 20 year period that started in 2009.


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