What’s the MOST Issued Citation in Fatal Car Crashes in US?

According to the results of a study performed by High Rise Funding, the most-issued traffic citation in fatal US car crashes is not DUI.

   DUI actually ranks 3rd on the list

 High Rise Financial is a pre-settlement legal funding company that utilized data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the years 2012 through 2021.

The study listed all the citations issued involving the 507,728 drivers who were involved in a fatal vehicle crash during that span. Of these crashes, the number one citation issued was Reckless Driving. 4.66 percent of the 507,728 deadly crashes resulted in that charge, or 23,663 drivers.

Number two on the list was driving on a suspended or otherwise invalid or no license, or a registration violation. 19,888 drivers were cited, or 3.92 percent of all deadly crashes.

  Third on the list was DUI. For the years 2012 through 2021, of all fatal crashes, 13.492 drivers were cited for impairment or 3.92 percent.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th-highest citations in these fatal crashes involved turning, driving on the wrong side of the road, and speeding.

The state where the most reckless driving citations were issued as part of a fatal crash was Colorado,  the state with the most license-related citations issued was New Hampshire, and the state with the most DUI citations issued in fatal crashes was Nevada.

According to the NHSTA, the worst year for deadly (fatal) car crashes was 2021.