I-74 in Indiana: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 54 fatal crashes on I-74 in Indiana killed 56 people, the 20th most of any numbered road in Indiana. In 2024 there were 7 fatal crashes and 7 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 10 counties of Indiana. All fatal crashes in Indiana. I-74 in every state.
Deaths on I-74 in Indiana by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 | 7 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 |
| 2021 | 4 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 |
| 2016 | 9 | 9 |
| 2015 | 7 | 8 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-74 in Indiana: the counties with the most fatal crashes
Shelby County County had the most fatal crashes on I-74 from 2015 to 2024: 15, with 17 deaths. Shelby, Decatur and Fountain counties together held 52% of fatal crashes in I-74 in Indiana from 2015 to 2024; the 6 listed held 81%. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | 4 | 15 | 17 |
| 2 | Decatur County | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | Fountain County | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Marion County | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | Dearborn County | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Montgomery County | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-74 in Indiana
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 | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 7.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 7.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 5.6 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 5.6 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 9.3 percent, 5 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 7.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan3.7%
- Feb5.6%
- Mar5.6%
- Apr1.9%
- May5.6%
- Jun1.9%
- Jul9.3%
- Aug13.0%
- Sep11.1%
- Oct20.4%
- Nov14.8%
- Dec7.4%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-74 in Indiana
3.57 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 151 miles of I-74 in Indiana, against 5.2 for all interstates in Indiana. That ranks 4 of 5 interstates in Indiana and 153 of 171 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-74 in Indiana first hit
The first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in 43%; a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 26%, a pedestrian in 15%, a rollover in 9.3%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 23 | 43% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 14 | 26% |
| Pedestrian | 8 | 15% |
| Rollover | 5 | 9.3% |
| Other | 3 | 5.6% |
| Parked vehicle | 1 | 1.9% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-74 in Indiana compare with the state
A drinking driver was recorded in 11% of fatal crashes in I-74 in Indiana from 2015 to 2024, below the Indiana share of 20%; speeding in 28%, above the Indiana share of 26%; a hit-and-run in 1.9%, below the Indiana share of 5.3%; a driver recorded as distracted in 3.7%, below the Indiana share of 5.7%; 35% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, below the Indiana share of 46%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Indiana. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| I-74 | Indiana | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 80% | 58% | above the Indiana share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.0% | 27% | below the Indiana share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 59% | 31% | above the Indiana share |
| A drinking driver | 11% | 20% | below the Indiana share |
| Speeding | 28% | 26% | above the Indiana share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 3.7% | 5.7% | below the Indiana share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 35% | 46% | below the Indiana share |
| Hit-and-run | 1.9% | 5.3% | below the Indiana share |
| A motorcycle involved | 7.4% | 16% | below the Indiana share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 14% | 11% | above the Indiana 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 I-74 in Indiana
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-74 in Indiana?
- 54 fatal crashes killed 56 people on I-74 in Indiana from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 7 fatal crashes and 7 deaths.
- Where on I-74 in Indiana do the most fatal crashes happen?
- Shelby County had the most fatal crashes on I-74 from 2015 to 2024: 15, with 17 deaths. Decatur County was second with 7.
- How dangerous is I-74 in Indiana per mile?
- 3.57 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 151 miles of road, against 5.2 for all interstates in Indiana. That ranks 4 of 5 interstates in Indiana and 153 of 171 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in Indiana with a page
- I-465
- I-65
- I-69
- I-70
- I-80
- State Highway 135
- State Highway 19
- State Highway 3
- State Highway 37
- State Highway 62
- State Highway 64
- State Highway 67
All fatal crashes in Indiana, with every road ranked.
Where the I-74 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-74 in Indiana (filed under 4 spellings, such as "I- 74", "I-74", "I-74 E", "I-74 W"). Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The full method.