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 · MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE · 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/tennessee/fatal/memphis/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
220 CRASHES IN
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
2023
In 2023, Memphis recorded 220 fatal crashes, an increase of 6.79% compared to 206 fatal crashes in 2022. Total fatalities also rose by 7.49%, from 227 in 2022 to 244 in 2023. A notable shift includes a 29.58% increase in motorists killed, rising from 142 in 2022 to 184 in 2023.
220
▲ 6.8%was 206
Total Crash Events
244
▲ 7.5%was 227
Persons Killed
234
▼ -0.8%was 236
Persons Injured
43
▲ 4.9%was 41
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (244) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (220) 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 overall trend indicates an increase in fatal crashes year-over-year, rising from 206 fatal crashes in 2022 to 220 fatal crashes in 2023. This represents a 6.79% increase in the number of fatal crash events. Total fatalities also increased by 7.49%, from 227 in 2022 to 244 in 2023.
43
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 4.9% vs prior (41)
The number of hit-and-run fatal crashes increased slightly from 41 in 2022 to 43 in 2023. The hit-and-run rate decreased marginally from 19.9% in 2022 to 19.5% in 2023, indicating a slight downward trend in the proportion of fatal crashes involving a hit-and-run.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
57
Pedestrians Killed
2
Cyclists Killed
184
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
2
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
231
Motorists Injured
1
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 Thursday with 37 crashes in 2022 to Saturday with 40 crashes in 2023. The peak hour also shifted from 9 PM with 23 crashes in 2022 to 7 PM with 21 crashes in 2023. Fatal crashes on Sundays increased from 31 in 2022 to 39 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 rainy conditions increased from 15 in 2022 to 31 in 2023, while crashes in clear conditions saw a slight increase from 180 to 183. Crashes occurring in daylight increased from 61 in 2022 to 67 in 2023, and those in dark, unlighted conditions increased from 13 to 19. The number of crashes in dark, lighted conditions remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 123 to 121.
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 leading vehicle make involved in fatal crashes shifted from Chevrolet with 46 in 2022 to Nissan/Datsun with 49 in 2023. There was a notable increase in Infiniti vehicles involved, rising from 7 in 2022 to 23 in 2023. Regarding person demographics, the 16-20 age group saw a 35.96% increase in persons involved in fatal crashes, rising from 57 in 2022 to 80 in 2023, while the 45-54 age group decreased by 28.17%, from 71 to 51.
Top Vehicle Makes (369 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
34 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (575 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 40 mph speed zone remained the most frequent location for fatal crashes, with 79 crashes in both 2022 and 2023. Fatal crashes at 45 mph increased from 53 in 2022 to 68 in 2023. Conversely, crashes at 55 mph decreased from 28 in 2022 to 17 in 2023, while those at 65 mph increased from 2 to 10.
Fatal crashes by zone: 20 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 25 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 30 mph: 7 of 7 (100%) · 35 mph: 28 of 28 (100%) · 40 mph: 79 of 79 (100%) · 45 mph: 68 of 68 (100%) · 50 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 55 mph: 17 of 17 (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 for both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', accounting for 114 crashes in 2023 and 116 in 2022, a decrease of 2. Angle collisions increased from 60 in 2022 to 68 in 2023, and front-to-front collisions rose from 11 to 19. Front-to-rear collisions decreased from 14 to 10.
Manner of Collision
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 type involved in fatal crashes for both years was the 4-door sedan, with 150 in 2023 and 163 in 2022, a decrease of 13. There was a notable increase in compact utility vehicles, from 26 in 2022 to 43 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving two-wheel motorcycles increased from 9 in 2022 to 14 in 2023, and truck-tractors increased from 5 to 11.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 21 reported. 12 additional (35 total) not shown: Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), 5-door/4-door hatchback, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Motor Scooter, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Unknown motored cycle type, 3-door/2-door hatchback, Other or Unknown automobile type, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Transit Bus (City Bus), Unenclosed Three Wheel Motorcycle / Unenclosed Autocycle (1 Rear Wheel).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Roadway Functional Class
Principal Arterial roads accounted for the most fatal crashes in both periods, with 'Other Principal Arterial' increasing from 76 in 2022 to 90 in 2023. Minor Arterial crashes decreased from 84 in 2022 to 79 in 2023. Local roads saw an increase in fatal crashes from 9 in 2022 to 14 in 2023.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
City or Municipal Highway Agencies were associated with the highest number of fatal crashes in both periods, increasing from 109 in 2022 to 118 in 2023. State Highway Agencies also saw an increase, from 97 crashes in 2022 to 101 in 2023. A single fatal crash occurred on a railroad-owned trafficway in 2023, which was not recorded 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 remained the dominant person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 329 in 2022 to 367 in 2023. Pedestrian involvement in fatal crashes significantly decreased from 87 in 2022 to 59 in 2023. Passenger involvement also decreased from 193 in 2022 to 176 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 fatal injuries (K) increased from 227 in 2022 to 244 in 2023. Serious injuries (A) rose from 47 to 53, and minor injuries (B) increased from 29 to 34. Possible injuries (C) decreased from 119 in 2022 to 98 in 2023, while persons with no reported injury (O) decreased from 151 to 129.
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 257 in 2022 to 223 in 2023. Similarly, the number of persons recorded with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment decreased from 141 in 2022 to 126 in 2023. Other safety equipment categories showed minor fluctuations.
Occupant Safety Equipment
"Other" combines 1 smaller categories (1 records): Child Restraint System - Rear Facing (1).
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 from 157 in 2022 to 180 in 2023. Impacts at the '1 Clock Point' also increased from 27 to 39. Conversely, impacts at the '11 Clock Point' decreased from 36 to 30.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 13 smaller categories (44 records): 4 Clock Point (8), 5 Clock Point (7), 7 Clock Point (6), 2 Clock Point (5), 10 Clock Point (3), 8 Clock Point (3), Right-Front Side (2), Undercarriage (2), Other Objects or Person Set-In-Motion (2), Non-Collision (2), Right-Back Side (2), Right (1), Left-Front 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 104 in 2022 to 96 in 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 78 to 94, and three-vehicle crashes increased from 15 to 24. The largest multi-vehicle fatal crash in 2023 involved 8 vehicles, compared to 6 vehicles 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: Memphis, Tennessee
- Total crash records analyzed: 220
- Total persons involved: 607
- Total vehicles involved: 369
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). "Memphis, Tennessee 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/tennessee/fatal/memphis/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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