Data Watch: Arkansas Roadway Fatalities, 2016-2022

Traveling in a vehicle is a daily aspect of most of our lives. However, it is also one of the riskiest activities, with more than 39,000 roadway fatalities occurring in the U.S. in 2022 alone. 

For this installment in our Data Watch series, we analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 2016 through 2022. We examined the locations of roadway fatalities, trends over time, demographics of the people who died, and the role of risky behaviors such as speeding and failure to use protections.

Key Findings

• Between 2016 and 2022, there were 4,089 roadway fatalities in Arkansas.
• In 2022, Arkansas had the fourth-highest roadway fatality rate of all the states and the District of Columbia (21.1 deaths per 100,000 people).
• Roadway fatalities increased in Arkansas during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking in 2021 with 691 fatalities that year.
• Motorists accounted for 75% of roadway fatalities, followed by motorcyclists (13%), pedestrians (11%), and bicyclists (1%).
• Risky behaviors contributed to roadway fatalities: In 50% of motorist fatalities, no restraint was used by vehicle occupants; 20% of roadway fatalities involved speeding; and more than half (57%) of motorcycle occupants who died were not wearing a helmet.