How many people died in car accidents in the United States in 1978?

50,331 people died in 44,433 fatal crashes on US public roads in 1978, 5.1% more than in 1977. That is about 138 deaths a day.

Which state had the most road deaths in 1978?

California, with 5,310 deaths in 4,724 fatal crashes. Texas was second with 3,914 and New York third with 2,436.

Is 1978 the latest year available?

No. The latest year NHTSA has published is 2024; the 1978 figures are final.

Fatal crashes in the United States in 1978

In 1978, 50,331 people died in 44,433 fatal crashes on US roads, 5.1% more than in 1977. That is about 138 deaths a day.

1977 · 1979 · All states today.

US road deaths since 1975, with 1978 marked

Deaths within 30 days of a crash on a public road, as NHTSA counts them.

Road deaths by state in 1978

California, Texas and New York together had 23% of the deaths. Deaths rose in 39 states and fell in 11 on the year before; the largest change was in Hawaii, 30% up.

	State	Deaths, 1978	Fatal crashes	Change on 1977
1	California	5,310	4,724	9.7%
2	Texas	3,914	3,407	7.7%
3	New York	2,436	2,200	4.3%
4	Florida	2,235	2,023	10.6%
5	Illinois	2,140	1,877	0.7%
6	Pennsylvania	2,081	1,878	0.7%
7	Ohio	2,047	1,800	11.6%
8	Michigan	2,020	1,783	5.5%
9	North Carolina	1,492	1,331	4.5%
10	Georgia	1,472	1,290	7.3%
11	Indiana	1,266	1,108	4.6%
12	Tennessee	1,241	1,099	1.5%
13	Missouri	1,190	1,042	0.8%
14	Alabama	1,142	998	5.6%
15	New Jersey	1,124	1,017	3.9%
16	Louisiana	1,079	956	9.0%
17	Virginia	1,063	951	-4.9%
18	Arizona	1,027	905	10.1%
19	Washington	985	865	8.0%
20	Wisconsin	971	839	4.3%
21	Minnesota	962	834	14.9%
22	Oklahoma	901	763	5.8%
23	South Carolina	883	778	-4.7%
24	Kentucky	878	772	-6.6%
25	Massachusetts	861	791	15.7%
26	Mississippi	784	670	14.6%
27	Maryland	711	644	7.6%
28	Oregon	708	626	7.8%
29	Colorado	694	599	0.0%
30	New Mexico	669	588	0.1%
31	Iowa	638	552	1.6%
32	Kansas	572	498	3.6%
33	Arkansas	571	493	3.6%
34	West Virginia	457	402	-11.1%
35	Connecticut	452	423	2.5%
36	Utah	370	310	4.2%
37	Nebraska	340	290	-1.4%
38	Idaho	327	277	0.6%
39	Nevada	305	264	21.5%
40	Montana	270	233	-14.6%
41	Wyoming	241	205	-2.0%
42	Maine	237	206	11.3%
43	Hawaii	194	174	30.2%
44	South Dakota	191	165	-8.2%
45	North Dakota	181	148	3.4%
46	New Hampshire	171	155	14.8%
47	Alaska	127	112	-5.9%
48	Delaware	125	112	5.0%
49	Vermont	119	109	2.6%
50	Rhode Island	108	100	-18.8%
51	District of Columbia	49	47	-15.5%

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count

Rates per 100,000 residents are given for 2015 onward, the years the site holds population estimates for.

Questions about fatal crashes in the United States in 1978

How many people died in car accidents in the United States in 1978?: 50,331 people died in 44,433 fatal crashes on US public roads in 1978, 5.1% more than in 1977. That is about 138 deaths a day.
Which state had the most road deaths in 1978?: California, with 5,310 deaths in 4,724 fatal crashes. Texas was second with 3,914 and New York third with 2,436.
Is 1978 the latest year available?: No. The latest year NHTSA has published is 2024; the 1978 figures are final.

Where the 1978 numbers come from

Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System file for 1978, the final file. Rates per 100,000 use Census Bureau population estimates. The full method.