RALEIGH, N.C. — Fewer people died on North Carolina roads last year, according to the state Division of Motor Vehicles’ annual crash report.
Traffic deaths dropped to 1,524 in 2025 from 1,729 the year before, a decline of 205, or 12%. That is the lowest total since 2019. Injuries fell 5.7%, to 107,076 from 111,852, even though the overall number of crashes rose about 2%.
Drivers covered an estimated record 132 billion miles on state roads. The injury rate dropped to 38.3 people hurt per 100 crashes, the lowest since record keeping began in 1960.
Vulnerable road users also fared better. Pedestrian deaths dipped nearly 7%, to 262, bicyclist deaths fell 17.5%, to 33, and 164 motorcyclists died, a 15% drop. Mecklenburg County had the most pedestrian deaths in the state, 33, followed by Wake with 21.
Familiar dangers remain. Alcohol played a role in close to a quarter of traffic deaths, and speeding in 22%. More than 90% of people buckle up, yet 44% of those killed were not wearing a seat belt. Among crashes that killed 106 teenagers, speeding factored into nearly 40% and alcohol into almost 23%.
DMV Commissioner Paul Tine urged drivers in a statement to study the report and the behaviors behind the deaths, pointing to speeding and distractions such as phones and navigation screens. Highway Patrol leaders said in a release that it remains committed to cutting deaths through education and enforcement, and the N.C. Alliance for Safe Transportation called the decline encouraging.
The DMV builds its yearly Crash Facts report from law enforcement crash reports.
Section: More Outer Banks NC crime news
Filed under: Outer Banks NC Traffic News
