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NC Traffic Fatalities Dropped 12% in 2025, Lowest in 5 Years

NC Alliance for Safe Transportation encouraged by the drop, but 1,524 people died, and 107,076 were injured

Traffic fatalities in North Carolina ticked down significantly last year, dropping 12% compared to 2024, according to an annual data release by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles.

The 1,524 people killed on North Carolina’s roads in 2025 is the state’s lowest number of fatalities in five years, according to tallies in the DMV’s 2025 Traffic Crash Facts report. The full NC DMV report is can be dowloaded below.

The report also shows a 5.7% decrease in injuries (a total of 107,076), and just under a 2% increase in total crashes (279,270). The report also notes that the state’s population and vehicle miles travelled increased last year, yielding the lowest crash-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-driven rate in a decade.

The number of people injured per 100 million vehicle miles driven appears to be the state’s lowest in at least 65 years (see page 16 of the report).

“These decreases, and especially the decrease in deaths, are encouraging,” said NC Alliance for Safe Transportation Board Chair Tiffany Wright, who is also director of public affairs at AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Those are real people still at family dinner tables, and that means an awful lot, even as my heart goes out to the families who lost someone. Any number except zero hurts.”

The new 144-page report is packed with statistics:

Distracted driving is more difficult to parse. The report notes that it’s self-reported, so the data “may not reflect the severity of this issue.” Distraction was self reported in 16% of all crashes, and in about 8% of fatal ones.

NCAST pays particular attention to youth driving statistics as part of its Teen Ambassador program, which recruits high school and college students as safe driving advocates.

For young people aged 15-19 in 2025 (see page 19):

N.C. State Highway Patrol Public Information Office, Lt. Chris Knox, said the patrol is encouraged by the reduction in fatal collisions.

“But we also understand that our important mission has not yet realized our goal of zero lives lost on our roadways,” Knox said. “Our resolve to reduce traffic fatalities through educational and enforcement efforts is as strong as ever, and our work alongside partners such as North Carolina Alliance for Safe Transportation is a vital part of the process.”

NC DMV Commissioner Paul Tine penned a message to open the division’s annual report.

“These statistics are more than numbers – they reflect lives lost and families forever changed,” he wrote. “We urge you to explore this report and understand the behaviors, such as speeding and distracted driving, that fuel these tragedies. Distractions like cell phones and navigation devices divert attention from the road, with devastating consequences. … Share this critical message: Safe driving saves lives.”

For more information contact Travis Fain – travis@faincommunications.com or 919.630.9296.