Gov. Beshear Announces Decline in Highway Fatalities in 2024

Road fatalities fall to lowest in a decade, down 107 compared with 2023

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 8, 2025) – Kentucky Governor's has announced that highway fatalities in Kentucky decreased in 2024 to 707 deaths – down 107 compared with 2023. This marks the lowest number of highway fatalities in the last 10 years.

The Governor said the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) continues education, engineering and enforcement campaigns aimed at enhancing highway safety. 

“These numbers mean fewer families have had to deal with such a painful loss, and it’s welcome news,” said Gov. Beshear. “By working together, we can ensure everyone traveling on Kentucky’s roadways makes it home safely. Let’s keep doing all we can to prevent tragedies – like buckling up, driving distraction-free and slowing down.”

Team Kentucky encourages all travelers – including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians – to stay alert and make safe choices on Kentucky roadways. Whether it’s driving sober, crossing at designated crosswalks or wearing reflective gear while biking or walking, small actions can save lives. 

Since nearly half of all reported motor vehicle fatalities in Kentucky involve unbelted drivers or passengers, Kentuckians are urged to buckle up – every trip, every time. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), you cut your risk of a fatal injury in a crash nearly in half by buckling up.  

“We’re asking motorists and passengers to commit to safe driving behaviors when behind the wheel, such as buckling up, putting the phone down, obeying the speed limit and driving sober,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “This helps keep our roadways safe, not only for those in vehicles, but for all road users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.”  

According to KYTC’s Office of Highway Safety and Kentucky State Police (KSP), of the 707 fatalities, 47% of vehicle occupants were not wearing a seat belt and 19% involved alcohol. Approximately 33% involved speeding or aggressive drivers, and 22% involved driver distraction. Pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 110 deaths and motorcyclists accounted for 96.   

“One of the hardest tasks for law enforcement is notifying a family that their loved one has been in a fatal crash. So, if we can potentially save a life by enforcing traffic laws, we’ll do it,” said KSP Major Eric Walker. “At the end of the day, it’s not about writing tickets; it’s about ensuring everyone makes it home safely.” 

According to NHTSA, wearing a seat belt gives motorists the best chance of preventing injury or death if involved in a crash. Properly fastened seat belts contact the strongest parts of the body, such as the chest, hips and shoulders. A seat belt spreads the force of a crash over a wide area of the body, putting less stress on any one part, and allows the body to slow down with the crash, extending the time when the crash forces are felt by the occupant. 

So far in 2025, preliminary numbers indicate 182 roadway deaths, down 17.27% compared with the same time last year. 

In addition to encouraging safe driving behaviors, KYTC is committed to enhancing safety for all users through infrastructure projects and programs aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries on our highways, roads and streets. 

A wrong-way driving prevention project launched last year will bring technology to interstates in central Kentucky to detect and deter wrong-way driving in urban areas where it’s more likely to occur. 

Additionally, KYTC has introduced safer road solutions by implementing roundabouts, Restricted Crossing U-Turns and other safety-focused designs in many areas across Kentucky to reduce the number of conflict points at intersections and reduce the risk of crashes. 

Restricted Crossing U-Turns have transformed highway safety for areas such as the intersection of U.S. Highway 68 and Kentucky Highway 139 in Trigg County, where crashes declined by 64.5% over the last four years – a greater reduction than the nationwide 54% average for the design – and where fatalities decreased to zero. 

Among similar efforts across Kentucky this year, work is underway on a $12.75 million Restricted Crossing U-Turns project along the high-traffic Richmond Road and Athens Boonesboro Road corridor in Fayette County that’s expected to reduce the number of crashes there and improve traffic flow. 

To further enhance road safety, education efforts such as the Kentucky Safe Teen Driving Challenge aims to reduce teen driving crashes by promoting safer driving habits. Using an app that tracks behaviors such as speed, braking and phone distraction, participants receive feedback after each trip to help them improve their skills. Ultimately, the challenge helps ensure safer roads by equipping teens with the tools they need to become more cautious and aware drivers. 

In January, the Governor announced the preliminary numbers which showed Kentucky was making major progress in reducing roadway fatalities.  

Today’s news builds on the work Team Kentucky is doing to increase public safety and protect Kentuckians.  

Last week, the Governor announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a 30.2% decrease in 2024 compared with the previous year. 

The Governor also announced that Kentucky secured another low recidivism rate. Nearly 70% of people released from state custody over the past two years have not been re-incarcerated. 

The 2023 Crime in Kentucky report, released in July of last year, indicates crime rates have remained stable with a decline in offenses for homicide, burglary, robbery, sex offenses, kidnapping and gambling. For the last three consecutive years, homicide rates have been declining.