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 · LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY · 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/kentucky/fatal/louisville/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
114 CRASHES IN
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
2023
In 2023, Louisville experienced 114 fatal crashes, identical to the 114 fatal crashes recorded in 2022. Total fatalities saw a minor decrease, moving from 119 in 2022 to 118 in 2023, representing a 0.84% reduction. The most notable year-over-year shift was a significant 56.25% increase in hit-and-run fatal crashes, rising from 16 in 2022 to 25 in 2023.
114
Total Crash Events
118
▼ -0.8%was 119
Persons Killed
70
▼ -20.5%was 88
Persons Injured
25
▲ 56.3%was 16
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (118) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (114) 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
The number of fatal crashes remained stable year-over-year, with 114 incidents reported in both 2022 and 2023. Total fatalities saw a marginal decrease of 0.84%, from 119 in 2022 to 118 in 2023. This indicates a largely consistent trend in the occurrence and lethality of fatal crashes in the jurisdiction.
25
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 56.3% vs prior (16)
Hit-and-run fatal crashes saw a substantial increase, rising from 16 incidents in 2022 to 25 in 2023. This represents a 56.25% increase in the number of such crashes. The hit-and-run rate also climbed from 14% to 21.9% of all fatal crashes, indicating an upward trend in these types of incidents.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
28
Pedestrians Killed
4
Cyclists Killed
85
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
70
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
The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Sunday with 22 incidents in 2022 to Thursday with 27 incidents in 2023. Similarly, the peak hour changed from 8 PM with 12 crashes in 2022 to 1 AM with 10 crashes in 2023. These shifts suggest a change in the temporal patterns of when fatal crashes are most likely to occur.
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 decreased slightly from 84 in 2022 to 81 in 2023, while those in cloudy conditions increased from 24 to 26. Fatal crashes during daylight hours saw an increase, rising from 35 in 2022 to 43 in 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes in 'Dark - Not Lighted' conditions decreased from 40 to 30 year-over-year.
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
Ford and Chevrolet remained among the top vehicle makes involved in fatal crashes in both periods, though their counts decreased slightly. Ford decreased from 30 in 2022 to 29 in 2023, and Chevrolet from 22 to 17. Honda, which was the third most frequent make in 2022 with 20 incidents, dropped out of the top three in 2023, while Dodge increased its involvement from 16 to 14, becoming the third most frequent make.
Top Vehicle Makes (175 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
20 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (234 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 35 mph speed zone continued to be the most common location for fatal crashes, increasing from 36 in 2022 to 42 in 2023. Fatal crashes in the 55 mph zone also saw an increase, rising from 25 to 31 year-over-year. Meanwhile, crashes in the 45 mph zone decreased from 25 to 22.
Fatal crashes by zone: 15 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 25 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 30 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 35 mph: 42 of 42 (100%) · 45 mph: 22 of 22 (100%) · 50 mph: 6 of 6 (100%) · 55 mph: 31 of 31 (100%) · 65 mph: 7 of 7 (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 fatal collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', though its count decreased from 73 in 2022 to 65 in 2023. Angle collisions remained stable with 23 incidents in both years. Front-to-Front collisions saw a significant increase, more than doubling from 4 in 2022 to 11 in 2023.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
4-door sedans were the most frequently involved body type in fatal crashes, decreasing from 64 in 2022 to 53 in 2023. Compact Utility vehicles saw an increase, rising from 25 to 30. Two-wheel motorcycles decreased slightly from 18 to 16, while truck-tractors (a large truck type) increased from 5 to 9, indicating a rise in fatal crashes involving these heavy vehicles.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 25 reported. 16 additional (24 total) not shown: 5-door/4-door hatchback, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Other or Unknown automobile type, Motor Scooter, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Sedan/Hardtop, number of doors unknown, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Utility Vehicle, Unknown body type, Off-road Motorcycle, Transit Bus (City Bus), Moped, Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Unknown body type, Unknown light vehicle type (automobile,utility vehicle, van, or light truck), Unknown (pickup style) light conventional truck type, School Bus.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Urban areas accounted for the vast majority of fatal crashes in both years, with 107 in 2022 and 108 in 2023. Rural areas consistently reported 6 fatal crashes in both periods. This highlights that while urban areas see more incidents, rural roads, despite lower traffic volumes, contribute to a notable portion 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
Minor Arterial roads were a leading location for fatal crashes, though their count decreased from 40 in 2022 to 30 in 2023. Other Principal Arterial roads saw an increase from 27 to 37 fatal crashes. Interstate crashes decreased from 24 to 21, while Local roads increased from 15 to 21, indicating a shift in fatal crash distribution across different road classifications.
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 responsible for the majority of fatal crash locations in both years, increasing from 89 in 2022 to 94 in 2023. Fatal crashes on roads owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies increased from 7 to 10. Conversely, crashes on County Highway Agency roads decreased from 8 to 2, while Town or Township Agency roads remained stable at 8 incidents.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers consistently represented the largest group of persons involved in fatal crashes, though their count decreased from 183 in 2022 to 174 in 2023. Passengers also saw a decrease from 70 to 43. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes decreased from 35 in 2022 to 28 in 2023, and bicyclists decreased from 6 to 4, indicating a reduction across all major person types.
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) remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 119 in 2022 to 118 in 2023. Serious injuries (A) saw a significant reduction, dropping from 17 to 11. Minor injuries (B) also decreased substantially, from 52 to 30, while 'No Injury' (O) decreased from 88 to 63, suggesting a general decrease in injury severity across all categories.
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 use of 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 151 persons in 2022 to 121 in 2023. Simultaneously, the number of persons reported with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment also decreased from 90 to 73. This suggests a general reduction in recorded safety equipment usage among those involved in fatal crashes.
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 of the vehicle) remained the most frequent point of impact in fatal crashes, increasing slightly from 99 incidents in 2022 to 102 in 2023. Impacts at the '6 Clock Point' (rear) decreased from 14 to 13. The '11 Clock Point' saw an increase from 12 to 17, while the '1 Clock Point' decreased from 13 to 10.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 7 smaller categories (13 records): 7 Clock Point (3), 2 Clock Point (3), 8 Clock Point (2), Non-Collision (2), Undercarriage (1), Top (1), 4 Clock Point (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 slightly from 60 in 2022 to 58 in 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes, however, increased from 41 to 48 year-over-year. Multi-vehicle crashes involving three vehicles decreased from 9 to 7, with no large pile-ups (four or more vehicles) observed in 2023, compared to two in 2022.
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: Louisville, Kentucky
- Total crash records analyzed: 114
- Total persons involved: 251
- Total vehicles involved: 175
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). "Louisville, Kentucky 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/kentucky/fatal/louisville/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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