Fatal Crashes in Iowa
2179 fatal crashes and 2399 fatalities from 2017-2023. Data from NHTSA FARS.
Crashes by year
| Year | Crashes | Fatalities | Drunk driver |
|---|
| 2017 | 301 | 330 | 78 |
| 2018 | 291 | 319 | 69 |
| 2019 | 313 | 336 | 82 |
| 2020 | 310 | 343 | 78 |
| 2021 | 329 | 356 | 83 |
| 2022 | 305 | 336 | 75 |
| 2023 | 330 | 379 | 81 |
Worst counties in Iowa
The top counties by fatal crash count. Need crash history at a specific location within these counties? Our intersection report shows every fatal crash within any radius, with vehicle details, person demographics, and a map.
| County | Crashes | Fatalities |
|---|
| POLK (153) | 223 | 242 |
| LINN (113) | 100 | 111 |
| SCOTT (163) | 90 | 101 |
| POTTAWATTAMIE (155) | 80 | 83 |
| BLACK HAWK (13) | 60 | 67 |
| WOODBURY (193) | 53 | 58 |
| JOHNSON (103) | 46 | 51 |
| DALLAS (49) | 44 | 48 |
| DUBUQUE (61) | 44 | 47 |
| WEBSTER (187) | 40 | 42 |
| MARSHALL (127) | 37 | 43 |
| LEE (111) | 34 | 38 |
| CLINTON (45) | 33 | 38 |
| BENTON (11) | 32 | 34 |
| CERRO GORDO (33) | 32 | 39 |
Worst cities in Iowa
Fatal crashes by city. Attorneys investigating a crash in any of these cities can get a full crash history report for the specific intersection - including prior crashes, time-of-day patterns, and impairment data.
| City | Crashes | Fatalities |
|---|
| DES MOINES | 112 | 123 |
| DAVENPORT | 58 | 64 |
| CEDAR RAPIDS | 55 | 63 |
| SIOUX CITY | 33 | 37 |
| WATERLOO | 30 | 34 |
| COUNCIL BLUFFS | 25 | 26 |
| DUBUQUE | 19 | 21 |
| WEST DES MOINES | 14 | 14 |
| MASON CITY | 12 | 17 |
| MARSHALLTOWN | 12 | 15 |
| IOWA CITY | 12 | 13 |
| OTTUMWA | 10 | 10 |
| URBANDALE | 9 | 9 |
| FORT DODGE | 9 | 10 |
| ANKENY | 8 | 10 |
When crashes happen
By month
| Month | Crashes |
|---|
| January | 135 |
| February | 119 |
| March | 125 |
| April | 155 |
| May | 193 |
| June | 207 |
| July | 230 |
| August | 250 |
| September | 232 |
| October | 186 |
| November | 172 |
| December | 175 |
Most dangerous hours
Peak hours matter for fleet safety teams scheduling routes and for attorneys establishing time-of-day patterns at a crash location.
| Hour | Crashes |
|---|
| 17:00 | 160 |
| 16:00 | 133 |
| 18:00 | 126 |
| 15:00 | 125 |
| 14:00 | 120 |
| 19:00 | 112 |
| 20:00 | 107 |
| 23:00 | 105 |
| 22:00 | 102 |
| 13:00 | 98 |
Vehicles involved in fatal crashes
Top vehicle makes in Iowa fatal crashes. Insurance actuaries use vehicle-level crash data for risk scoring - our API lets you query by make, model, body type, and rollover status.
| Make | Vehicles involved |
|---|
| Chevrolet | 576 |
| Ford | 466 |
| Dodge | 226 |
| Harley-Davidson | 225 |
| Toyota | 159 |
| Other Make | 141 |
| Freightliner | 125 |
| Honda | 124 |
| GMC | 106 |
| Jeep / Kaiser-Jeep / Willys- Jeep | 99 |
Conditions
Weather
| Weather | Crashes |
|---|
| Clear | 1,560 |
| Cloudy | 359 |
| Rain | 103 |
| Snow | 47 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 37 |
| Freezing Rain or Drizzle | 21 |
| Reported as Unknown | 19 |
| Blowing Snow | 9 |
Collision type
| Type | Crashes |
|---|
| Single vehicle / pedestrian / object | 1,227 |
| Angle | 466 |
| Front-to-Front | 250 |
| Front-to-Rear | 169 |
| Sideswipe - Same Direction | 28 |
| Sideswipe - Opposite Direction | 25 |
| Other | 10 |
| Reported as Unknown | 2 |
| Rear-to-Side | 1 |
| Not Reported | 1 |
Need crash data for a specific location in Iowa?
Our intersection report shows every fatal crash within any radius of a GPS coordinate - with a map, event sequence, contributing factors, vehicle and person details. Used by attorneys for discovery and insurance teams for risk assessment.
For programmatic access to all Iowa crash data, see the API guide. $19/mo for full access.
Data source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2017-2023. Updated annually.
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