Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents in the United States 2022

United States data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 Final Release details fatal motor vehicle accidents. The dataset, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, contains one record per crash with information on crash characteristics and environmental conditions. It is the final release, incorporating updates from delayed police and toxicology reports.

Use Cases

• Analyze crash characteristics to identify common factors in fatal accidents across different road types.
• Model environmental conditions at the time of crashes to assess risk factors for fatal outcomes.
• Study temporal patterns in fatal accident reporting delays using the final release data corrections.

Strengths

• Data is the final release, incorporating additional fatal accidents and corrections from delayed police and toxicology reports.
• Compiled by the authoritative National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Provides geospatial data on fatal accidents across the United States for a full calendar year (2022).

Limitations

• Contains only fatal accidents, excluding non-fatal crashes which limits analysis of overall traffic safety.
• Final release is published 12-15 months after the initial data, so the information is not real-time.
• Attribute information for previously reported accidents may have been changed, requiring careful version tracking.

Provenance

Source

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation.

Collection Method

Compiled from police reports, toxicology reports, and other official sources for fatal motor vehicle accidents.

Time Range

January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.

Freshness

Data covers calendar year 2022; metadata was last updated in July 2025.

Geography

United States.