DC Car Accident Statistics

To begin with, Washington, DC recorded 25 traffic deaths in 2025, the lowest annual total in more than a decade and less than half the 52 deaths recorded in each of 2023 and 2024. However, that progress has not carried into 2026. As of September 2, 2026, the Metropolitan Police Department counts 29 traffic fatalities in the District, compared with 15 at the same point in 2025. Overall, this page collects the current DC car accident statistics in one place. In addition, it explains where each number comes from and what the trends mean for anyone hurt in a crash in the District.

All of the DC car accident statistics below come from three primary sources. First, the MPD Traffic Data page publishes the District’s official fatality count. Second, the Crashes in DC open dataset maintained by DDOT and MPD records every reported crash, injury, and location. Third, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board and the District’s Vision Zero program publish regional and citywide safety analysis. Because those datasets are compiled differently, they do not always agree entirely. Therefore, each section below names its source, and the methodology note at the end explains the differences.

DC Car Accident Statistics: Traffic Deaths by Year

To begin with, DC traffic deaths peaked at 52 in both 2023 and 2024. After that, they fell to 25 in 2025. In fact, the District has not recorded fewer than 25 traffic deaths in a year since 2010. Specifically, the table below shows the annual totals reported by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Source: Metropolitan Police Department, Traffic Data, annual fatality totals 2006 to 2025.

Notably, the 2025 decline matched a broader regional trend. For example, the National Safety Council’s preliminary estimate showed motor vehicle deaths in DC falling by roughly two thirds in the first half of 2025. Meanwhile, traffic deaths across the wider DC region returned to pre-pandemic levels that year. Even so, the District’s Vision Zero program, which set a goal of zero traffic deaths by 2024, did not meet that target.

2026 DC Traffic Fatalities Year to Date

Meanwhile, as of September 2, 2026, MPD reports 29 traffic fatalities in the District. Indeed, that is up 93 percent from 15 at the same point in 2025. As a result, the 2026 pace now resembles the 2023 and 2024 totals rather than the 2025 low. Moreover, the Crashes in DC dataset shows 11 pedestrian deaths and 10 driver deaths in the District through the end of August. Because these figures change weekly, we refresh this section each quarter from the MPD Traffic Data page. In addition, for claims arising from the most serious of these crashes, see our page on fatal car accidents in DC.

Crashes and Injuries in DC by Year

Overall, DC averages roughly 18,000 to 21,000 reported crashes a year. In addition, about 300 to 450 people suffer major injuries annually. Specifically, the table below is drawn from the Crashes in DC open dataset. In other words, a major injury in this dataset is one that required transport to a hospital and was classified as serious by the responding officer.

Source: Crashes in DC dataset (DDOT and MPD), queried September 2, 2026. Injury totals combine drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Two trends stand out. First, total crashes have never returned to the 2019 level, although the number of bicyclists involved in crashes has nearly doubled since 2020 as ridership has grown. Second, while major injuries have trended down since 2019, the District still records roughly 5,000 to 6,000 minor injuries a year. Moreover, most of those injuries are to drivers and passengers. Consequently, soft tissue and whiplash claims make up a large share of DC car accident cases.

Who Is Killed in DC Crashes

In particular, pedestrians account for roughly four in ten traffic deaths in the District. To be specific, from 2019 through 2025, the Crashes in DC dataset records 103 pedestrian deaths, 120 driver deaths, 29 passenger deaths, and 9 bicyclist deaths. Notably, pedestrians made up 14 of the 22 deaths captured in the dataset in 2025, which was the highest pedestrian share in the period.

Importantly, that share is far above the regional figure. By comparison, the Transportation Planning Board’s Regional Roadway Safety Study found that pedestrians accounted for about 29 percent of traffic deaths across the Washington region from 2019 to 2023. Furthermore, the Governors Highway Safety Association reported that the DC region is now twice as deadly for pedestrians as it was a decade ago. If you were hit while walking, our DC pedestrian accident lawyer page explains how those claims differ from a two car collision. Similarly, our DC bicycle accident lawyer page covers claims brought by riders, and our DC wrongful death lawyer page explains who may file after a fatal crash.

Where DC Crashes Happen

In fact, Ward 2, which covers downtown, Georgetown, and Dupont Circle, records the most crashes in the District. However, Wards 5, 7, and 8 record the most serious injuries relative to their traffic. Accordingly, the 2025 breakdown from the Crashes in DC dataset appears below.

Source: Crashes in DC dataset, 2025 crashes grouped by ward.

Wards 7 and 8 together hold about a quarter of the District’s population. Nevertheless, an analysis of DDOT data covering 2014 through mid 2026 attributes roughly 44 percent of the District’s traffic deaths to those two wards. Our guide to the most dangerous roads for a DC car accident looks at the specific corridors behind those numbers. In addition, a crash involving a District government vehicle follows different rules and deadlines, which we cover on our page about claims against the DC government.

Speeding and Impaired Driving in DC Car Accident Statistics

Notably, speeding is recorded as a factor in a small share of all DC crashes but a large share of fatal ones. For instance, the Crashes in DC dataset flags speeding in 515 of the 18,167 crashes reported in 2025, or about 3 percent. By contrast, the Transportation Planning Board’s regional study found speeding involved in about 32 percent of fatal crashes and 22 percent of serious injury crashes. Our page on speeding car accidents in DC explains how that evidence is used in a claim.

Similarly, impaired driving follows the same pattern. Specifically, the dataset records an impaired driver in 305 DC crashes in 2025, down from 743 in 2019. In other words, that decline tracks the drop in overall crash volume rather than a change in the share of crashes involving impairment. Meanwhile, automated enforcement has expanded in the District, with nearly 500 speed and traffic cameras in operation, although the Council has debated scaling the program back. For related claims, see our pages on drunk driving accidents in DC, distracted driving accidents, and failure to yield accidents. Finally, our page on the most common causes of DC car accidents puts these factors in context.

What These DC Car Accident Statistics Mean for Your Claim

In short, the numbers above describe the risk. However, three features of DC law decide what happens to a claim after a crash. First, DC follows contributory negligence, which means a driver found even slightly at fault may be barred from recovering from the other driver. Second, the District’s no fault personal injury protection system requires an election within 60 days of the crash, and choosing PIP can limit the right to sue. Third, the statute of limitations for most car accident lawsuits is three years under D.C. Code § 12-301, although a six month notice deadline under § 12-309 applies when a District government vehicle is involved.

Of course, each of those rules is covered in more detail elsewhere on this site. For example, our Washington DC car accident lawyer guide walks through the claims process from the first days after a crash. Likewise, our DC car accident statute of limitations page covers the filing deadlines, and our DC PIP coverage page covers the 60 day election. For the value side of the equation, see what a DC car accident case is worth. If you were hurt in a crash in the District, Gelb & Gelb offers a free consultation. We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, so no attorney fee is owed unless we obtain a recovery. In addition, case costs are addressed separately in the written fee agreement.

Sources and Methodology for These DC Car Accident Statistics

To begin with, annual fatality totals come from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Traffic Data page, which MPD updates daily and which we treat as the official count. Likewise, crash, injury, and ward figures come from the Crashes in DC dataset published on Open Data DC and maintained by DDOT and MPD. Because that dataset is updated continuously as reports are finalized, its fatality counts run slightly below MPD’s official totals for the same year. In addition, its most recent months are subject to revision. Regional and national comparisons come from the Transportation Planning Board’s Regional Roadway Safety Study update, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Finally, we refresh this page each quarter and note the query date under each table.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The information on this page is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. In addition, Gelb & Gelb attorneys are licensed in the District of Columbia and Maryland.