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Fatal Crashes Continue to Rise in Arizona

The numbers are in, and the Arizona Department of Transportation’s annual report “Motor Vehicle Crash Facts” has them. They all say the same thing: fatal crashes are on the rise in Arizona. According to the report, there were 962 total deaths in crashes with 56,636 injuries in 2016. This is up from 897 deaths and 53,554 injuries in 2015. Deadly crashes have increased for two consecutive years.

In 2016, Crashes involving passenger vehicles make the majority of incidents with 129,230 accidents (up from 114,659) with 448 total dead. Alcohol-related accidents increased from 4,941 to 4,923 with an increase of deaths from 295 to 307. Accidents involving motorcycles have seen an increase in crashes from 2,988 to 3,179 with an increase in deaths from 137 to 142.

There was a heartbreaking increase in child deaths (younger than 14 years old) from 24 to 36 in the same time frame.


Some of the most surprising facts come not from the totals, but percentages. Urban crashes make for just over 81% of all crashes in Arizona, but rural crashes account for over 42% of all fatal crashes in 2016. In 2015, one can see a similar disproportionate split. Rural crashes made for 19.04% of the total, but account for a whopping 45.75% of all fatal crashes.

The report indicates that drivers who were under the influence of alcohol or engaged in reckless driving, speeding, and failure to use safety devices were major factors in these incidents.

 These arguably preventable incidents caused a massive economic drain on Arizona’s economy. In 2015, there was 3.817 billion lost due to accidents—1.38 billion from fatalities. However, the data from 2016 show an unbelievable increase. Crashes account for a staggering 10.747 billion dollar blow to Arizona’s economy in 2016—5.579 billion from fatalities.