Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · ALASKA · 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/alaska/fatal/statewide/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
57 CRASHES IN
ALASKA
2023
Fatal crashes in Alaska decreased by 24% from 75 in 2022 to 57 in 2023. Concurrently, total fatalities saw a 25.6% reduction, falling from 82 to 61. The most notable shift was the increase in fatal hit-and-run crashes, which more than doubled.
57
▼ -24.0%was 75
Total Crash Events
61
▼ -25.6%was 82
Persons Killed
54
▼ -34.9%was 83
Persons Injured
4
▲ 100.0%was 2
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (61) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (57) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in Alaska decreased by 24% year-over-year, dropping from 75 in 2022 to 57 in 2023. This reduction in fatal crashes was accompanied by a 25.6% decrease in total fatalities, from 82 to 61. The overall trend indicates a reduction in the number of fatal incidents and associated deaths.
4
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 100.0% vs prior (2)
Fatal hit-and-run crashes increased from 2 in 2022 to 4 in 2023, marking a 100% increase. The rate of hit-and-run fatal crashes also rose from 2.7% to 7% of all fatal crashes. This indicates an upward trend in fatal incidents where a driver flees the scene.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
13
Pedestrians Killed
48
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
54
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Friday in 2022, with 16 incidents, to Saturday in 2023, with 15 incidents. The peak hour also changed significantly, moving from 12 AM with 11 fatal crashes in 2022 to 5 PM with 6 fatal crashes in 2023. This indicates a shift in the timing of the highest volume of fatal crashes.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions decreased from 42 in 2022 to 28 in 2023, while those in cloudy conditions saw a minor decrease from 16 to 14. Fatal crashes during daylight hours decreased from 35 to 29, and those in dark, unlighted conditions decreased from 20 to 12. There were no data for road surface conditions in either period.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
The top vehicle make involved in fatal crashes, Ford, decreased from 18 vehicles in 2022 to 16 in 2023. Chevrolet saw a more substantial decrease from 17 to 10 vehicles, and Toyota from 15 to 7. All age groups experienced a decrease in persons involved in fatal crashes, except for the 65+ age group, which increased from 18 to 20 persons.
Top Vehicle Makes (88 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
5 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (134 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes occurring in speed zones of 55 mph and 65 mph, which accounted for 42 incidents in 2022, decreased to 28 incidents in 2023. Fatal crashes in lower speed zones (20-45 mph) also decreased from 29 in 2022 to 20 in 2023. All listed speed limits continued to have a 100% fatal rate for crashes in both periods.
Fatal crashes by zone: 20 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 25 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 30 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 35 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 40 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 45 mph: 7 of 7 (100%) · 50 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 55 mph: 18 of 18 (100%) · 65 mph: 10 of 10 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision remained 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' which decreased from 42 fatal crashes in 2022 to 34 in 2023. 'Angle' collisions saw a notable decrease from 18 to 5 fatal crashes, while 'Front-to-Front' collisions slightly increased from 11 to 12 fatal crashes. 'Sideswipe - Opposite Direction' fatal crashes doubled from 1 to 2.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
Light Pickup trucks remained the most common vehicle body type in fatal crashes, though their count decreased from 34 in 2022 to 21 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving Two Wheel Motorcycles increased from 8 in 2022 to 11 in 2023. Conversely, 4-door sedans saw a decrease from 21 to 10 fatal crashes.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 20 reported. 11 additional (16 total) not shown: Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), Van-Based Bus GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs., 3-door/2-door hatchback, ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle, 2-door sedan,hardtop,coupe.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
In 2023, rural areas accounted for 34 fatal crashes, while urban areas had 23. This is a shift from 2022, where urban areas had a slightly higher number of fatal crashes (38) compared to rural areas (37). The current data shows that rural fatal crashes now outnumber urban fatal crashes, which is notable as rural roads often carry a disproportionate share of fatalities.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Interstate roadways continued to have the highest number of fatal crashes, though decreasing from 32 in 2022 to 20 in 2023. Major Collector roads saw a slight increase from 9 to 11 fatal crashes. Other Principal Arterial roads experienced a significant decrease from 25 to 10 fatal crashes, while Minor Arterial roads increased from 4 to 9 fatal crashes.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies owned the roadways for the majority of fatal crashes in both periods, decreasing from 68 in 2022 to 49 in 2023. Fatal crashes on County Highway Agency roads decreased from 7 to 5. A single fatal crash on a roadway owned by Navy/Marines was reported in 2023, which was not present in 2022.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers continued to be the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, decreasing from 120 in 2022 to 88 in 2023. Passengers also saw a decrease from 69 to 38. Pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes slightly decreased from 15 to 13, while bicyclists and other occupants, present in 2022, were not recorded in 2023.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of persons sustaining fatal injuries (K) decreased from 82 in 2022 to 61 in 2023. Similarly, persons with minor injuries (B) decreased from 36 to 20, and those with possible injuries (C) dropped from 20 to 4. However, persons with unspecified injuries (U) increased from 3 to 6.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons using shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes decreased significantly from 114 in 2022 to 52 in 2023. Conversely, the count of persons reported as using 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment increased from 36 to 41. This indicates a concerning rise in the proportion of individuals not using safety restraints in fatal incidents.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The dominant point of impact remained the '12 Clock Point' (front center), although the number of fatal crashes with this impact decreased from 66 in 2022 to 47 in 2023. 'Non-Collision' fatal crashes decreased from 7 to 3. The '6 Clock Point' (rear center) saw a slight increase from 4 to 5 fatal crashes.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 9 smaller categories (10 records): Right-Front Side (2), Top (1), 4 Clock Point (1), 8 Clock Point (1), Left (1), Left-Back Side (1), Left-Front Side (1), Right (1), Right-Back Side (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 36 in 2022 to 31 in 2023, while two-vehicle fatal crashes also saw a reduction from 34 to 21. Conversely, three-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 4 to 5. The prior period included one fatal crash involving 5 vehicles, a scenario not observed in the current period.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
- Geographic scope: Alaska
- Total crash records analyzed: 57
- Total persons involved: 139
- Total vehicles involved: 88
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Alaska Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/alaska/fatal/statewide/2023-annual-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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