2020 Pennsylvania Crash Statistics

Posted on July 29, 2021

Pennsylvania vehicle crashes were way down in 2020, and in fact ranked as the second lowest since recordkeeping began in 1935, according to the annual PennDOT Pennsylvania Crash Facts & Statistics report.

The Overview

There were 104,475 traffic crashes on Pennsylvania roads in 2020, killing 1,129 and injuring 61,248. With 102.8 billion vehicle-miles traveled, the 2020 fatality rate was just 1.10 per hundred million miles traveled.

On average, Pennsylvania had 286 crashes daily or about 12 per hour during 2020.
There were three people fatally injured each day, the equivalent of one death every eight hours.
Each day, there were 168 people injured, or about seven per hour.
About one out of every 57 people was in a crash, one of out of 11,339 died in a crash, and one out of every 209 people was injured.

Causes of the Crashes

There were 293 alcohol-related fatalities and 269 speed-related fatalities. Heavy trucks accounted for 122 deaths.
The majority of crashes (more than 30%) involved a single vehicle colliding with a fixed object such as a guard rail or tree.
Passenger cars were overwhelmingly represented in 52.8% of all 2020 crashes. They were involved in more crashes than the other types of vehicles combined.
Wet road conditions were responsible for just 14.3% of the crashes, and snow/slush accounted for just over 1%. The majority occurred in dry conditions.
However, improperly maintained vehicles did play a role. Tire/wheel and/or brake-related issues were primary contributors to 65.5% of all crashes.

Historic Trends

From 2019 to 2020, total crashes decreased 16.6% and total injuries decreased 19.7%. However, fatalities increased by 6.6%. Pennsylvania’s fatality rate has been historically lower than the U.S. fatality rate. U.S. numbers were not available as of the publishing of this report.

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in the Philadelphia region, or a loved one is the victim of a traffic fatality, contact an attorney experienced in winning motor vehicle accident cases.