Tennessee Car Accident Statistics (2026 Update)

Last updated: July 8, 2026. All figures below come from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) TITAN crash database and the Tennessee Fatality Analysis Reporting System, with the most recent statewide release published January 2026. Figures for 2024 and 2025 are preliminary and subject to revision by the state.

Tennessee Car Accident Fast Facts

• Tennessee recorded 172,739 traffic crashes in 2025, an average of about 473 crashes per day.
• 1,045 people died on Tennessee roads in 2025, down from 1,194 in 2024, a decline of roughly 12.5 percent based on preliminary totals.
• That still averages nearly 3 deaths on Tennessee roads every day.
• Total crashes have fallen about 15.7 percent since 2019, from 204,918 to 172,739.
• Nearly half of all Tennessee crashes (about 48 percent) happen in just five counties: Shelby, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, and Rutherford.
• October is Tennessee’s most dangerous month: 16,598 crashes in October 2025, the highest of any month. February was the lowest at 12,117.

How many car accidents happen in Tennessee each year?

Tennessee recorded 172,739 traffic crashes in 2025, according to preliminary TDOSHS TITAN data. Crash totals have declined for four consecutive years, from a recent peak of 193,067 in 2021. The state counts crashes reported on public roads and excludes parking lot and private property incidents as well as crashes with less than $400 in damage.

Source: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, TITAN Division, published January 2026.

How many people die in Tennessee car accidents each year?

1,045 people died in Tennessee traffic crashes in 2025, down from 1,194 in 2024, according to the Tennessee Fatality Analysis Reporting System. That is roughly a 12.5 percent decline and the second consecutive yearly drop, but it still means Tennessee loses nearly three people on its roads every day. The state attributed much of the 2025 improvement to enforcement and safety initiatives in Memphis and Shelby County, where fatalities fell by 90, the largest improvement of any region.

By Tennessee Highway Patrol district, the 2025 year-end release reported: Knoxville district deaths fell from 170 to 144, Nashville district from 268 to 255, and Memphis district from 259 to 169, while the Chattanooga district rose slightly from 124 to 128 and the Jackson district rose from 88 to 97, with the increases concentrated in rural areas.

Which Tennessee counties have the most car accidents?

Crashes concentrate heavily in Tennessee’s metro counties. The five counties containing Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Murfreesboro accounted for about 48 percent of all crashes statewide in 2025.

Source: TDOSHS TITAN, preliminary 2025 county data.

A notable trend inside these numbers: Shelby County crashes have fallen about 29 percent since 2021 (38,251 down to 27,197), the steepest improvement among the large counties and consistent with the fatality reductions the state credits to Memphis-area safety task forces.

What time of year do the most crashes happen in Tennessee?

Fall is consistently the most dangerous season on Tennessee roads. In 2025, October led all months with 16,598 crashes, followed by November with 16,163. February was the safest month with 12,117 crashes. This autumn peak repeats across prior years in the state data and coincides with shorter daylight hours, holiday travel ramp-up, and deer season collisions.

Source: TDOSHS TITAN, preliminary 2025 monthly data.

Is driving in Tennessee getting safer?

By the two headline measures, yes. Total crashes are down about 15.7 percent since 2019, and traffic deaths fell roughly 12.5 percent from 2024 to 2025 alone, the second straight annual decline. State officials caution that the gains are uneven: motorcycle fatalities were largely unchanged year over year, unrestrained occupants continue to account for a significant share of deaths, and some rural districts saw fatalities rise even as urban areas improved.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure on this page is drawn from official government sources, primarily:

• Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, TITAN Division: Tennessee Crash Data (crash counts by year, month, and county)
• Tennessee Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the TDOSHS year-end fatality release, December 31, 2025 (statewide and district fatality totals)
• Tennessee Traffic Safety Resource Service: tntrafficsafety.org (county rankings and trend analysis)

2024 and 2025 figures are labeled preliminary by the state and may be revised as reporting is finalized. This page is reviewed monthly and updated whenever TDOSHS publishes new data.