Roadway travel remains one of the riskiest daily activities, both in Arkansas and nationwide. To better understand trends related to roadway fatalities in the state and help identify opportunities for improvement, ACHI examined state roadway fatality data from 2016 through 2024, with particular focus on where fatalities most frequently occur, what time of day fatalities occurred, demographics of the people who died, and the role of failure to use restraints or wear a helmet.
This installment in our Data Watch series updates our previous analysis of 2016-2023 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System with the addition of data for 2024, the most recent year for which data are available.
Key Findings
- In 2024, there were 603 roadway fatalities in Arkansas, including motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
- Arkansas had the second-highest roadway fatality rate in the country in 2024, with 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the national average of 11.6.
- Rural counties in Arkansas had higher rates of roadway fatalities compared to more urban counties in 2024 (county rurality was determined using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural-Urban Continuum Codes).
- In 2024, Prairie County had the highest fatality rate in the state with 113 fatalities per 100,000 residents.
- Among passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2024, 49% were not using a restraint. Among motorcyclists who died, 57% were not wearing a helmet.
Data used in this analysis can also be viewed in our interactive dashboard.
