Deadly data: A look at Virginia’s crashes in recent years

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia has lost over 7,800 lives to deadly car crashes between 2017 and 2025.

An 8News analysis of data from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) shows 7,325 deadly crashes in the Commonwealth over the eight years, killing 7,803 people between 2017 and 2025.

Among the nine VDOT districts: Bristol, Salem, Lynchburg, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Fredericksburg, Culpeper, Staunton and Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads saw the most deadly crashes with 1,444 incidents. The Bristol area reported the fewest deadly crashes over the eight-year span with 483 incidents.

With 1,399 crashes killing at least one person within the eight years, the Greater Richmond region ranks second on the list.

About 94.3% of all deadly crashes, or 6,910, resulted in one death in the Commonwealth between 2017 and 2025. Over 350 crashes resulted in two deaths and 47 such incidents killed three people. Just eight crashes, half of them taking place in the Richmond area, killed four people each over the eight years.

In 2025, the Richmond area saw 106 crashes, down 42.4% from 2024's 184 deadly incidents and 34.6% from 162 in 2023. Henrico County reported the most deadly crashes in the region within the last two years, dropping from 47 in 2024 to 27 in 2025.

Deadly pedestrian crashes show steady patterns in Richmond area

Of the total 7,325 deadly crashes, about 327 were hit-and-run. Seven such incidents resulted in at least two deaths, with one 2020 crash in the Hampton Roads area killing three people.

About 1,136 crashes in Virginia, including 257 in the Richmond area, involved at least one pedestrian. Within the past eight years, Henrico saw the most deadly incidents on the road involving a pedestrian in the area, with 79 such crashes. Richmond is in the second spot with 64.

The city recently rolled out several initiatives to improve pedestrian safety in the area after Richmond recorded seven deadly pedestrian crashes in the span of about eight weeks, between Dec. 25, 2025, and Feb. 16, 2026. Seven people were killed in these crashes, including The Valentine’s director Bill Martin and 23-year-old Hope Cartwright, an editor at Richmond-based Virginia Living magazine.

During the eight-week span, Chesterfield recorded three deadly pedestrian crashes and Henrico recorded two such incidents.

An analysis of VDOT data also showed that over the last eight years, nearly half of all deadly crashes in the Commonwealth occurred during daylight. About 30% of such incidents occurred when it was dark out and on an unlit road, and roughly 14% occurred on a lit road.

State initiatives tackle crashes involving alcohol, drugs and distracted driving

Between 2017 and 2025, more than 2,100 crashes, or nearly 30% of all deadly crashes statewide, involved alcohol. Roughly 305 deadly crashes were drug-related, per VDOT data.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) estimated that alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped 28% in the last three decades, between 1992 and 2022. On average, alcohol-related crashes led to one death, 11 injuries and 19 incidents every day in Virginia in 2022, the agency said.

Between 2022 and 2024, the Commonwealth recorded at least 6,700 crashes involving alcohol, with the majority resulting in injuries. About 5.5% of such incidents were deadly in 2024, a steady rise from 4.1% in 2023 and 3.9% in 2022, according to DMV data obtained by 8News.

Virginia has seen more than 122,000 road incidents each year since 2022. Less than 1% of those are deadly. It's unclear whether the agency also recorded a drop in traffic fatalities that were alcohol-related last year, as its 2025 data was still being finalized.

A spokesperson for the DMV said the agency continues to work with highway safety partners and lead data-informed efforts to reduce traffic fatalities in the Commonwealth. This includes initiatives focusing on seatbelt use, impaired driving, speeding and distracted driving.

"These ongoing efforts reflect a coordinated approach among DMV, law enforcement, and safety partners to encourage safer choices on Virginia's roads," the spokesperson told 8News in a statement.

Some campaigns by the DMV underway in recent years include "Buckle Up, Phone Down," "See and Be Seen" with the city of Richmond and the Commonwealth’s Highway Safety Office and "Who's Your Driver?" in partnership with NASCAR star Ross Chastain.