Fatal crashes in Black Hawk County, Iowa
In 2024, 15 people died in 15 fatal crashes in Black Hawk County, 15.4% more than in 2023. From 2015 to 2024 the county recorded 95 fatal crashes and 103 deaths, the 5th most of any county in Iowa.
11.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, against 11 across Iowa in 2024; 7.8 against 11 a year over 2015 to 2024. Population 132,348, Census Bureau estimate. All fatal crashes in Iowa.
Deaths in Black Hawk County by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15 | 15 |
| 2023 | 12 | 13 |
| 2022 | 5 | 7 |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 |
| 2020 | 9 | 9 |
| 2019 | 10 | 11 |
| 2018 | 7 | 10 |
| 2017 | 8 | 8 |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 |
| 2015 | 9 | 10 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Numbered roads with fatal crashes in Black Hawk County
The 4 roads listed held 26% of all fatal crashes in Black Hawk County from 2015 to 2024; 1 is an interstate, 2 US routes, 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 | US 63 | 8 | 9 | 3 | no page |
| 2 | I-380 | 6 | 6 | 3 | no page |
| 3 | US 218 | 6 | 6 | 2 | no page |
| 4 | State Highway 58 | 5 | 5 | 0 | no page |
Cities NHTSA filed, with their fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024: Waterloo 43, Cedar Falls 12. 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 Black Hawk 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 | 4.2 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 6.3 percent, 6 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 4 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 9.5 percent, 9 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 6.3 percent, 6 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 1.1 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.1 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 3.2 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan3.2%
- Feb3.2%
- Mar4.2%
- Apr7.4%
- May9.5%
- Jun7.4%
- Jul15.8%
- Aug15.8%
- Sep12.6%
- Oct6.3%
- Nov10.5%
- Dec4.2%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
What fatal crashes in Black Hawk County 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 21%, a pedestrian in 11%, a rollover in 11%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 41 | 43% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 20 | 21% |
| Pedestrian | 10 | 11% |
| Rollover | 10 | 11% |
| Cyclist | 6 | 6.3% |
| Other | 6 | 6.3% |
| Parked vehicle | 2 | 2.1% |
| 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 in Black Hawk County compare with Iowa
A drinking driver was recorded in 14% of fatal crashes in Black Hawk County from 2015 to 2024, below the Iowa share of 25%; speeding in 18%, below the Iowa share of 20%; a hit-and-run in 3.2%, above the Iowa share of 2.0%; a driver recorded as distracted in 6.3%, about the Iowa share; 41% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, below the Iowa share of 45%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Iowa. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Black Hawk | Iowa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural roads | 34% | 72% | below the Iowa share |
| At or near an intersection | 35% | 27% | above the Iowa share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 18% | 28% | below the Iowa share |
| A drinking driver | 14% | 25% | below the Iowa share |
| Speeding | 18% | 20% | below the Iowa share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 6.3% | 7.0% | about the same as the Iowa share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 41% | 45% | below the Iowa share |
| Hit-and-run | 3.2% | 2.0% | above the Iowa share |
| A motorcycle involved | 19% | 17% | above the Iowa share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 9.7% | 7.1% | above the Iowa 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 Black Hawk County
- How many people died in car accidents in Black Hawk County in 2024?
- 15 people died in 15 fatal crashes in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 2024, 15.4% more than in 2023. That is 11.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, against 11 across Iowa.
- How many fatal crashes in Black Hawk County involved a drinking driver?
- 13 of 95 fatal crashes in Black Hawk County from 2015 to 2024 involved a driver NHTSA recorded as drinking, 14%, against 25% across Iowa.
Other counties in Iowa with a page
- Polk County
- Scott County
- Linn County
- Pottawattamie County
- Woodbury County
- Johnson County
- Dubuque County
- Lee County
- Webster County
- Dallas County
- Cerro Gordo County
- Warren County
All fatal crashes in Iowa, with every county ranked.
Where the Black Hawk County numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash NHTSA filed in Black Hawk County (county code 13). 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.