Washington Ranks Second Worst for Bad-Weather Fatal Crashes
A Houston Personal Injury Lawyers study of 2020-2024 federal crash data ranks Washington State second among states for fatal crashes in adverse weather.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Severe Weather
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A study by Houston Personal Injury Lawyers analyzing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fatal crash data from 2020 to 2024 ranks Washington State second-worst nationally for bad-weather fatal crash rates. Of Washington's 3,253 deadly crashes during that period, 819 occurred in adverse weather conditions.
Why it matters
The ranking highlights how weather conditions such as rain, sleet, snow, fog, and ice contribute to fatal crashes on Washington roads. For residents of Washington State, it points to the elevated risk of driving during wet or hazardous conditions.
The study is based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fatal crash records from 2020 to 2024, with Washington's bad-weather fatality rate at 25.2 percent and 617 of its 819 adverse-weather fatal crashes occurring in rain or wet conditions. The analysis does not address the underlying causes of the higher rates or the share of crashes attributable to driver behavior versus road conditions.
The players
Houston Personal Injury Lawyers
A Houston-based personal injury law firm that conducted the study and published the state-by-state ranking of bad-weather fatal crash rates.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The federal agency responsible for road safety whose fatal crash data formed the basis of the analysis.
The details
The study ranked states by the percentage of their fatal crashes that occurred in bad weather, defined to include rain, sleet, snow, blowing dust, fog, and ice. Alaska ranked worst with a 42.6 percent rate, while California, Nevada, and Arizona had the fewest bad-weather fatal crashes.
Timeline
- Data analyzed covers fatal crashes from 2020 through 2024.
- The study findings were published on November 5, 2026.
Seasonal Patterns
The ranking draws on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the federal census of fatal motor vehicle crashes, to compare how often bad weather is a factor across states. Placing Washington second-worst against Alaska and Oregon shows that the Pacific Northwest's wet-season driving conditions carry a measurable fatality burden relative to drier states such as Nevada and Arizona.
Drivers in Washington State should reduce speed and increase following distance during rain, fog, or icy conditions, since rain and wet roads accounted for most of the state's adverse-weather fatal crashes. Checking current road conditions before traveling during storms can help drivers plan safer routes.
The takeaway
Adverse weather is a significant factor in Washington's fatal crashes, and drivers can lower their risk by slowing down and allowing extra distance when roads are wet or icy.
Further reading
Explore more on Severe Weather to see how adverse conditions affect roads and travel across Washington.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 107.3 KFFM.
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Do you slow down enough when driving in rain or wet conditions?
