2024 Michigan Motor Vehicle Crashes – A Year in Review

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and the U.S. Department of Transportation released its 2024 Michigan crash data earlier this month. The numbers were consistent compared to 2023. Still, it’s always interesting to review the results and identify the dangerous times, months, and areas to drive on our roads and highways.

Total Crashes

In 2024, a total of 288,880 motor vehicle crashes occurred. October had the most crashes, with 30,012, while February had the fewest, at 18,542. February only has 28 days, so it’s no surprise that it has the fewest crashes. However, the fact that October had more crashes than any other month is a bit of a surprise.

After proudly representing car accident victims in Michigan for nearly 20 years, I have consistently found October to be a particularly crash-prone month. But why? I think it has a lot to do with the significant change in the sun’s movement in the sky during the month, causing longer shadows and making it more difficult for drivers to see sudden traffic changes. It gets darker earlier in the day, reducing visibility.

Another reason is more traditional outdoor activity. October is also the month of fall festivals, Halloween, high school and college football, and lots of deer-vehicle collisions. This increases the odds of vehicle crashes in Michigan.

Total Fatalities

There were 1,012 fatal crashes in 2024. This compares with 1,021 deadly crashes in 2023. August had the most with 115, while February again had the least with 56 fatalities. Of all fatal crashes, 27% involved at least one drinking operator, bicyclist, or pedestrian, 16% involved drinking but no drugs, 13% percent involved drugs but no drinking, and 11.5% involved both drinking and drugs

The pedestrian death toll for Michigan stands at 156 people, a decrease of 27 deaths from 2023.

Injury Crashes

In 2024, 51,202 crashes resulted in injuries. This represents a slight increase from 2022, when there were 51,097 personal injury crashes. Again, October led the way with 4,874 crashes. The least dangerous months were February through April. Like most years, more women were injured than men.

Rural/Urban Crashes

Not surprisingly, there were more crashes in urban areas compared to rural areas. Urban areas experienced 192,093 crashes, compared to 96,495 in rural areas. However, the number of fatalities in both regions was almost equal. In fact, urban areas only made up 53% of fatalities, thus making rural crashes much more likely to result in a death.

There is little doubt that speed plays a significant role in this discrepancy, as rural roads allow for higher speeds and more severe impacts.

On the other hand, almost 20% of crashes in urban areas resulted in a personal injury. This compares to roughly 13.36% of crashes in rural areas.

The statewide crash data did not break down crashes by suburban and urban areas, and the latter were not defined.

Most Popular Types of Crashes

Most crashes involved a single vehicle. In fact, over 36% of all crashes involved single-vehicle incidents. The most popular crashes involved two or more vehicles, which were typically rear-end crashes. In 2024, there were over 62,000 rear-end crashes, making up 21.7% of all crashes.

The second most popular crash type was “angle” accidents. These include T-bone accidents, where one vehicle strikes another vehicle on the side. In 2024, 15.4% of accidents were of this type.

Not far behind were sideswipe accidents. In fact, sideswipe crashes where vehicles are travelling in the same direction resulted in a whopping 38,713 crashes, with almost 4,000 injuries. This is a high crash volume, which speaks to the fact that drivers fail to properly check their mirrors before changing lanes.

There were almost 11,000 head-on crashes, with most involving left-hand turns. These crashes caused a higher proportion of severe injuries and fatalities.

Day of the Week

In 2024, Friday had the most crashes (48,770). The weekdays were all close, though. Both Saturday (35,122) and Sunday (29,394) had the fewest number of crashes. This makes sense, there are fewer people out on the roads during the weekends. Saturday led the way with the most fatalities (184). Oddly, Sunday and Monday had almost the same number of deaths, despite Monday having more crashes and significantly more traffic.

Time of Day

The afternoon rush hour (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm) resulted in the most crashes, with 22.7% of all crashes occurring during these three hours. The next highest three-hour period was 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm (16.2%). Surprisingly, there were more crashes during this time than during the morning commute.

The afternoon rush also witnessed the most injury crashes and fatalities. However, the number of deaths between 9:00 pm and 12:00 am was almost equal (174 versus 168). This can be attributed to higher rates of drunk driving and less visibility during the late-night hours.

Road Conditions

Road conditions naturally play a role in many car, truck, bus, and motorcycle accidents. Snow, ice, and slush accounted for 10% of all crashes, but resulted in a lower number of fatalities and wrongful deaths. This is because motorists tend to drive more slowly in wintry conditions, thereby reducing the likelihood of a severe crash.

Dry road conditions were present in 73.5% of all crashes, but in over 80% of all fatalities. Again, drinking and driving can be blamed for this difference.

Free Consultation From Experienced Michigan Car Accident Lawyers

Car and truck accidents often result in injuries that range in severity from broken bones to traumatic brain injuries. If you’ve been hit by a vehicle while driving anywhere in Michigan, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

At the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we fight for pedestrians injured due to negligent drivers and unsafe road conditions. Our legal team is familiar with Detroit’s most dangerous streets, and we use data-driven evidence to build strong cases for our clients.

To schedule your free consultation and confidential case evaluation, call us at 1-800-LEE-FREE (1-800-533-3733) or fill out our online contact form and we’ll respond promptly.