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 · IOWA · 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/iowa/fatal/statewide/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
330 CRASHES IN
IOWA
2023
In 2023, the jurisdiction recorded 330 fatal crashes, an 8.2% increase from the 305 fatal crashes in 2022. Total fatalities rose by 12.8%, from 336 in 2022 to 379 in 2023. A particularly notable shift was the nearly doubling of pedestrian fatalities, which increased from 15 in 2022 to 29 in 2023.
330
▲ 8.2%was 305
Total Crash Events
379
▲ 12.8%was 336
Persons Killed
212
▲ 31.7%was 161
Persons Injured
0
▼ -100.0%was 5
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (379) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (330) 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 increased year-over-year, rising from 305 in 2022 to 330 in 2023, an 8.2% increase. Concurrently, the number of persons killed in these fatal crashes also increased by 12.8%, from 336 to 379. Injuries in fatal crashes saw an even larger increase of 31.7%, from 161 to 212.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
29
Pedestrians Killed
5
Cyclists Killed
344
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
4
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
208
Motorists Injured
0
Other 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
Saturday remained the day with the highest number of fatal crashes in both periods, increasing from 54 fatal crashes in 2022 to 67 in 2023. The peak hour for fatal crashes shifted from 2 PM with 23 fatal crashes in 2022 to 5 PM with 31 fatal crashes in 2023.
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 increased from 235 in 2022 to 241 in 2023, while those in cloudy conditions rose from 34 to 54. Fatal crashes during daylight hours increased from 159 in 2022 to 180 in 2023, and those in dark, unlighted conditions rose from 89 to 95.
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
Chevrolet remained the most frequently involved vehicle make in fatal crashes, increasing from 82 in 2022 to 95 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving Ford vehicles increased from 54 to 74, and Harley-Davidson involvement rose from 33 to 43. The age groups 16-20 and 21-25 saw increases in persons involved in fatal crashes, with the 16-20 group rising from 58 to 72 and the 21-25 group from 60 to 75.
Top Vehicle Makes (507 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
10 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (698 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
The 55 mph speed limit zone continued to account for the most fatal crashes, increasing from 148 in 2022 to 164 in 2023. Fatal crashes in 70 mph zones also increased from 22 to 25. Conversely, fatal crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 35 to 30.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 17 of 17 (100%) · 30 mph: 12 of 12 (100%) · 35 mph: 30 of 30 (100%) · 40 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 45 mph: 20 of 20 (100%) · 50 mph: 17 of 17 (100%) · 55 mph: 164 of 164 (100%) · 60 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 65 mph: 38 of 38 (100%) · 70 mph: 25 of 25 (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 in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', increasing from 170 fatal crashes in 2022 to 181 in 2023. Angle collisions saw a notable increase, rising from 58 fatal crashes in 2022 to 83 in 2023. Front-to-front fatal crashes decreased from 34 to 28, and front-to-rear fatal crashes decreased from 31 to 23.
Manner of Collision
"Other" combines 1 smaller categories (1 records): Reported as Unknown (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The most common vehicle body types involved in fatal crashes were '4-door sedan, hardtop' (105 in 2023, up from 82 in 2022) and 'Light Pickup' (101 in 2023, up from 77 in 2022). Fatal crashes involving 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' increased from 50 in 2022 to 63 in 2023. 'Truck-tractor' involvement decreased from 48 to 40.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 28 reported. 19 additional (71 total) not shown: Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Farm equipment other than trucks, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), 5-door/4-door hatchback, 2-door sedan,hardtop,coupe, ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], 3-door/2-door hatchback, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Utility station wagon (includes suburban limousines, Suburban, Travellall, Grand Wagoneer), Off-road Motorcycle, Unknown medium/heavy truck type, Other van type (Hi-Cube Van, Kary), Utility Vehicle, Unknown body type, Medium/Heavy Vehicle Based Motor Home, Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) / Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Three-wheel Motorcycle (2 Rear Wheels).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Rural trafficways accounted for 229 fatal crashes in 2023, an increase from 213 in 2022, representing approximately 69.4% of all fatal crashes in 2023. Urban trafficways also saw an increase, from 90 fatal crashes in 2022 to 101 in 2023. Rural roads continue to bear a disproportionately high share of fatal crashes.
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
In 2023, 'Other Principal Arterial' roads recorded the most fatal crashes with 96, an increase from 88 in 2022. Interstate roads experienced a notable increase in fatal crashes, rising from 38 in 2022 to 52 in 2023. Local roads also saw an increase from 39 to 45 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 were associated with the highest number of fatal crashes, increasing from 159 in 2022 to 179 in 2023. County Highway Agencies saw a slight increase from 75 to 76 fatal crashes. Fatal crashes on roads owned by Town or Township Highway Agencies increased from 28 to 35.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the most frequently involved person type in fatal crashes, increasing from 458 in 2022 to 504 in 2023. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes saw a significant increase, rising from 15 in 2022 to 33 in 2023. The number of bicyclists involved also increased from 4 to 5.
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 fatal injuries (K) increased from 336 in 2022 to 379 in 2023. Serious injuries (A) rose from 69 to 84, and minor injuries (B) increased from 64 to 93. This indicates an overall increase in both fatal and non-fatal injuries within fatal crash events.
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 Belt Used' increased from 286 in 2022 to 320 in 2023. Concurrently, the number of persons for whom 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment was recorded also increased from 239 to 274. This suggests a rise in fatal crashes involving both restrained and unrestrained individuals.
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 '12 Clock Point' (front impact) remained the most common point of impact, increasing slightly from 243 in 2022 to 245 in 2023. 'Angle' impacts, categorized under 11, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 clock points, also increased in total. Fatal crashes classified as 'Non-Collision' increased from 33 to 38.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 9 smaller categories (54 records): 1 Clock Point (18), 2 Clock Point (16), 8 Clock Point (6), 7 Clock Point (5), 4 Clock Point (3), 5 Clock Point (2), Top (2), Reported as Unknown (1), Cargo/Vehicle Parts Set-In-Motion (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 increased from 157 in 2022 to 169 in 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes also rose from 135 to 141. Multi-vehicle fatal crashes involving three vehicles increased from 11 to 16.
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: Iowa
- Total crash records analyzed: 330
- Total persons involved: 707
- Total vehicles involved: 507
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). "Iowa 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/iowa/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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