Fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County, Arizona
In 2024, 7 people died in 7 fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County, 22.2% fewer than in 2023. From 2015 to 2024 the county recorded 59 fatal crashes and 67 deaths, the 14th most of any county in Arizona.
Deaths in Santa Cruz County by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 | 7 |
| 2023 | 6 | 9 |
| 2022 | 7 | 8 |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 |
| 2020 | 5 | 7 |
| 2019 | 6 | 6 |
| 2018 | 6 | 7 |
| 2017 | 6 | 6 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015 | 5 | 6 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
The deadliest roads in Santa Cruz County
I-19 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Santa Cruz County from 2015 to 2024: 26, with 28 deaths. The 2 roads listed held 63% of all fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County from 2015 to 2024; 1 is an interstate, 1 state highway. Interstate, US and state routes with 5 or more fatal crashes in the county; county roads and city streets are in the county's total but not listed.
| Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-19 | 26 | 28 | 7 | |
| 2 | State Highway 82 | 11 | 17 | 5 | no page |
Cities NHTSA filed, with their fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024: Nogales 13, Rio Rico 6, Tubac 5. The city is not filed for crashes outside a city.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen in Santa Cruz County
Too few crashes to name a heaviest slot. The grid shows the shares; a share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 7.0 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 7.0 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 8.8 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 1.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan5.1%
- Feb13.6%
- Mar1.7%
- Apr13.6%
- May32.2%
- Jun8.5%
- Jul5.1%
- Aug6.8%
- Sep5.1%
- Oct3.4%
- Nov1.7%
- Dec3.4%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
What fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County first hit
The first harmful event was a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 36%; a collision with another vehicle in 20%, a rollover in 19%, a pedestrian in 10%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 21 | 36% |
| Collision with another vehicle | 12 | 20% |
| Rollover | 11 | 19% |
| Pedestrian | 6 | 10% |
| Other | 3 | 5.1% |
| Cyclist | 2 | 3.4% |
| Parked vehicle | 1 | 1.7% |
| Not reported | 3 | 5.1% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County compare with Arizona
A drinking driver was recorded in 27% of fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County from 2015 to 2024, above the Arizona share of 22%; speeding in 32%, about the Arizona share; a hit-and-run in 5.1%, below the Arizona share of 7.8%; a driver recorded as distracted in 10%, above the Arizona share of 8.1%; 62% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, above the Arizona share of 54%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Arizona. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Santa Cruz | Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural roads | 56% | 31% | above the Arizona share |
| At or near an intersection | 5.5% | 31% | below the Arizona share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 16% | 17% | about the same as the Arizona share |
| A drinking driver | 27% | 22% | above the Arizona share |
| Speeding | 32% | 33% | about the same as the Arizona share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 10% | 8.1% | above the Arizona share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 62% | 54% | above the Arizona share |
| Hit-and-run | 5.1% | 7.8% | below the Arizona share |
| A motorcycle involved | 8.5% | 18% | below the Arizona share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 9.0% | 21% | below the Arizona share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County
- How many people died in car accidents in Santa Cruz County in 2024?
- 7 people died in 7 fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, in 2024, 22.2% fewer than in 2023.
- What is the deadliest road in Santa Cruz County?
- I-19 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Santa Cruz County from 2015 to 2024: 26, with 28 deaths.
- How many fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County involved a drinking driver?
- 16 of 59 fatal crashes in Santa Cruz County from 2015 to 2024 involved a driver NHTSA recorded as drinking, 27%, against 22% across Arizona.
Other counties in Arizona with a page
- Maricopa County
- Pima County
- Pinal County
- Mohave County
- Yavapai County
- Coconino County
- Navajo County
- Apache County
- Yuma County
- Cochise County
- Gila County
- La Paz County
All fatal crashes in Arizona, with every county ranked.
Where the Santa Cruz County numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash NHTSA filed in Santa Cruz County (county code 23). A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The rate per 100,000 uses the Census Bureau's population estimate for the county; it is the only figure here not counted from FARS. The full method.