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 · SOUTH DAKOTA · 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/south-dakota/fatal/statewide/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
128 CRASHES IN
SOUTH DAKOTA
2023
South Dakota experienced an increase in fatal crashes from 121 in the prior year to 128 in the current year, marking a 5.8% rise. Total fatalities also saw a slight increase from 137 to 140. A notable shift was the doubling of fatal motorcycle crashes, from 13 in the prior year to 26 in the current year.
128
▲ 5.8%was 121
Total Crash Events
140
▲ 2.2%was 137
Persons Killed
85
▼ -5.6%was 90
Persons Injured
4
▲ 100.0%was 2
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (140) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (128) 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
Overall, fatal crashes in South Dakota increased by 5.8%, from 121 in the prior year to 128 in the current year. Fatalities rose by 2.2%, from 137 to 140, while injuries decreased by 5.6%, from 90 to 85, year-over-year.
4
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 100.0% vs prior (2)
Fatal hit-and-run crashes increased from 2 in the prior year to 4 in the current year, representing a 100% increase. The hit-and-run rate also rose from 1.7% to 3.1% of all fatal crashes year-over-year.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
15
Pedestrians Killed
125
Motorists Killed
2
Pedestrians Injured
83
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 temporal pattern for fatal crashes shifted year-over-year, with the peak day moving from Friday (22 fatal crashes) in the prior period to Saturday (31 fatal crashes) in the current period. The peak hour also shifted from 10 a.m. (12 fatal crashes) in the prior period to 9 p.m. (11 fatal crashes) in the current period, indicating a trend towards later hours for fatal incidents.
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 88 in the prior year to 97 in the current year, while those in rainy conditions decreased from 9 to 7. Fatal crashes during daylight hours increased from 64 to 74, whereas those in 'Dark - Not Lighted' conditions decreased from 39 to 35. Road surface conditions data was not available for comparison.
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 involvement in fatal crashes decreased from 34 vehicles in the prior period to 30 in the current period, while Ford involvement increased from 23 to 27. Harley-Davidson involvement also increased from 15 to 19 vehicles. Regarding persons involved, the 0-15 age group saw a decrease in representation from 15 to 9, while the 55-64 age group increased from 33 to 41.
Top Vehicle Makes (194 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
6 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (269 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 55 mph speed zones increased from 32 in the prior period to 34 in the current period, and those in 80 mph zones increased from 11 to 14. Conversely, fatal crashes in 65 mph zones decreased from 38 to 34. The 55 mph and 65 mph zones continued to account for the highest number of fatal crashes in both periods.
Fatal crashes by zone: 20 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 25 mph: 9 of 9 (100%) · 30 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 35 mph: 13 of 13 (100%) · 40 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 45 mph: 8 of 8 (100%) · 55 mph: 34 of 34 (100%) · 65 mph: 34 of 34 (100%) · 70 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 75 mph: 6 of 6 (100%) · 80 mph: 14 of 14 (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,' which increased from 70 fatal crashes in the prior period to 73 in the current period. Angle collisions decreased from 26 to 24 fatal crashes, while Front-to-Front collisions increased from 11 to 19 fatal crashes year-over-year.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
Motorcycle involvement in fatal crashes significantly increased from 14 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' vehicles in the prior period to 27 in the current period. Light Pickup involvement decreased from 44 to 30 vehicles, while Truck-tractor involvement increased from 14 to 18 vehicles. '4-door sedan, hardtop' remained a prominent vehicle type, with 33 involved in both periods.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 25 reported. 16 additional (27 total) not shown: Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle, Unknown body type, Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), 2-door sedan,hardtop,coupe, 5-door/4-door hatchback, ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], Unknown medium/heavy truck type, Motor Scooter, School Bus, Medium/Heavy Vehicle Based Motor Home, Three-wheel Motorcycle (2 Rear Wheels), Golf Cart, Farm equipment other than trucks, Construction equipment other than trucks (includes graders), Utility station wagon (includes suburban limousines, Suburban, Travellall, Grand Wagoneer), Unknown motored cycle type.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Fatal crashes in rural areas increased from 94 in the prior year to 102 in the current year, while urban fatal crashes remained stable at 27 and 26, respectively. Rural roads accounted for a disproportionately high share of fatal crashes, representing approximately 78% in the prior period and 80% in the current period.
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
Fatal crashes on Minor Arterial roads increased from 22 in the prior period to 30 in the current period, and Interstate fatal crashes rose from 17 to 22. Fatal crashes on Major Collector roads decreased from 29 to 26. Minor Arterial and Other Principal Arterial roads carried the most fatalities in the current period.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
Fatal crashes on roadways owned by State Highway Agencies increased from 68 in the prior period to 70 in the current period. County Highway Agency-owned roadways also saw an increase in fatal crashes from 22 to 24. Fatal crashes on City or Municipal Highway Agency roads increased slightly from 17 to 18.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Driver involvement in fatal crashes remained the dominant person type, increasing slightly from 188 to 191 persons. Passenger involvement decreased significantly from 101 to 63 persons. Pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes increased from 12 to 17 persons, while bicyclist involvement decreased from 3 to 0 persons.
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) increased from 137 in the prior period to 140 in the current period. Persons with serious injuries (A) also increased from 39 to 48. Conversely, persons with minor injuries (B) decreased substantially from 37 to 18.
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 reported with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment in fatal crashes increased from 104 in the prior period to 127 in the current period. Concurrently, those using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 128 to 105. This indicates a concerning increase in unrestrained individuals 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) remained the most frequent area of impact in fatal crashes, increasing from 78 in the prior period to 84 in the current period. 'Non-Collision' events also saw an increase from 29 to 37. The '6 Clock Point' (rear) saw a decrease from 18 to 10.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 7 smaller categories (12 records): 3 Clock Point (4), 7 Clock Point (2), 2 Clock Point (2), Left-Front Side (1), 8 Clock Point (1), Right-Front Side (1), Undercarriage (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
The number of single-vehicle fatal crashes remained stable at 69 in both periods. Two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 44 in the prior period to 53 in the current period. Multi-vehicle fatal crashes involving three or more vehicles decreased from 8 to 6.
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: South Dakota
- Total crash records analyzed: 128
- Total persons involved: 273
- Total vehicles involved: 194
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). "South Dakota 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/south-dakota/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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