There are millions of auto accidents across the U.S. each year. Over the last decade, there were more than 6 million auto accidents on average per year. While even minor bumps or scratches can be a major hassle to repair, more major crashes put drivers, passengers, and pedestrians at risk of serious injury or death.
There are four major types of accidents, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: collisions with a motor vehicle in transport, collisions with a fixed object like a light pole or guard rail, collisions with non-fixed objects like pedestrians, cyclists, or animals, and non-collision car wrecks like rollovers. Some types of car wrecks are much more common than others.
To determine the most common types of car wrecks, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on the over 61 million documented auto incidents from 2011 to 2020, as categorized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the event of multi-faceted car wrecks, the incidents were categorized based on the first collision. Miscellaneous or uncategorized accidents were excluded.
Collisions between two cars in transit make up the majority of all American auto accidents. This includes rear-ending, sideswiping, or running into another car at an angle. With cars regularly driving at high speeds very close to one another, just a momentary lapse in concentration can result in a wreck. (Fatigue can contribute to crashes. This is the city with the longest commute in every state.)
There are often aggravating factors behind these auto accidents. Weather conditions may reduce visibility or make driving more difficult. Drivers themselves may be impaired, distracted, or drowsy, making them much more likely to run into something. Road conditions can also play a part, as twisting highways or rough surfaces can increase the likelihood of accidents. This state has the worst highways in America.
Click here to see the 20 car accidents Americans get in the most.
Source: stevanovicigor / iStock via Getty Images
20. Hit train
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 10,869 (0.0% of total)
> Injuries: 3,235 injuries
> Fatalities: 1,072 fatalities
Source: Travel Wild / iStock via Getty Images
19. Hit bridge
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 148,870 (0.2% of total)
> Injuries: 38,458 injuries
> Fatalities: 1,986 fatalities
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Source: Bluberries / iStock via Getty Images
18. Other noncollision
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 262,652 (0.4% of total)
> Injuries: 69,064 injuries
> Fatalities: 3,739 fatalities
Source: Oleksandr Tkachenko / iStock via Getty Images
17. Hit embankment
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 482,196 (0.8% of total)
> Injuries: 204,334 injuries
> Fatalities: 9,388 fatalities
Source: Bobex-73 / iStock via Getty Images
16. Hit cyclist
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 537,628 (0.9% of total)
> Injuries: 484,373 injuries
> Fatalities: 7,939 fatalities
Source: txking / iStock via Getty Images
15. Hit pedestrian
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 710,565 (1.2% of total)
> Injuries: 641,863 injuries
> Fatalities: 51,649 fatalities
Source: bruceman / E+ via Getty Images
14. Hit something else; not fixed
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 751,150 (1.2% of total)
> Injuries: 138,654 injuries
> Fatalities: 3,811 fatalities
Source: simonkr / E+ via Getty Images
13. Hit another car; other
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 814,546 (1.3% of total)
> Injuries: 87,885 injuries
> Fatalities: 1,429 fatalities
Source: gorodenkoff / iStock via Getty Images
12. Rollover
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 972,172 (1.6% of total)
> Injuries: 595,124 injuries
> Fatalities: 27,935 fatalities
Source: Chris Ryan / OJO Images via Getty Images
11. Hit guardrail
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 1,004,352 (1.6% of total)
> Injuries: 281,611 injuries
> Fatalities: 9,031 fatalities
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. Hit shrubbery/tree
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 1,130,992 (1.9% of total)
> Injuries: 449,957 injuries
> Fatalities: 24,584 fatalities
Source: Sapsiwai / iStock via Getty Images
9. Hit another car; head on
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 1,450,173 (2.4% of total)
> Injuries: 711,910 injuries
> Fatalities: 32,609 fatalities
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Source: drbueller / E+ via Getty Images
8. Hit a pole/post
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 1,906,073 (3.1% of total)
> Injuries: 535,784 injuries
> Fatalities: 14,181 fatalities
Source: Niall_Majury / iStock via Getty Images
7. Hit a culvert/curb/ditch
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 2,140,550 (3.5% of total)
> Injuries: 684,758 injuries
> Fatalities: 24,388 fatalities
Source: tacojim / E+ via Getty Images
6. Hit something else fixed
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 2,508,934 (4.1% of total)
> Injuries: 677,702 injuries
> Fatalities: 17,641 fatalities
Source: Teka77 / iStock via Getty Images
5. Hit animal
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 2,875,127 (4.7% of total)
> Injuries: 193,112 injuries
> Fatalities: 1,810 fatalities
Source: Berezko / iStock via Getty Images
4. Hit parked car
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 3,402,886 (5.6% of total)
> Injuries: 488,877 injuries
> Fatalities: 3,722 fatalities
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Source: Khosrork / iStock via Getty Images
3. Hit another car; sideswipe
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 7,147,877 (11.7% of total)
> Injuries: 1,075,045 injuries
> Fatalities: 8,713 fatalities
Source: kadmy / iStock via Getty Images
2. Hit another car; at an angle
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 13,145,773 (21.5% of total)
> Injuries: 4,708,872 injuries
> Fatalities: 58,465 fatalities
Source: hroe / iStock via Getty Images
1. Hit another car; rear end
> Occurrences, 2011-2020: 19,611,823 (32.1% of total)
> Injuries: 5,455,937 injuries
> Fatalities: 21,750 fatalities
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