le-vehicle crashes surrounding Labor Day travel, according to a new analysis of federal traffic fatality data. The Volunteer State ranked sixth nationally, recording 327 single-vehicle fatal crashes during September over a five-year period.

A recent report shows that details were gathered through examining data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System between the years of 2020 through 2024. Researchers calculated each state's five-year average and compared it with population figures to determine a rate per 100,000 residents. Tennessee recorded an average of 65.4 single-vehicle fatal crashes per year, resulting in a rate of 9.26 per 100,000 residents.

Only five states recorded higher rates. Wyoming topped the list at 13.40 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Montana at 13.25, Mississippi at 11.27, New Mexico at 10.67 and neighboring Arkansas at 10.37. Tennessee's 9.26 rate placed it just ahead of South Dakota, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

The Tennessee numbers varied from year to year. The state recorded 70 single-vehicle fatal crashes in September 2020, followed by 61 in 2021. The five-year high came in 2022, when 72 such crashes were recorded. Another 69 were reported in 2023 before the number dropped to 55 in 2024, the lowest total during the period examined.

Researchers pointed to speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and failure to wear seat belts as behaviors associated with deadly single-vehicle crashes. The analysis was conducted by Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers and David Rosen, COO and CSO at the law office, said many of the crashes are preventable and emphasized the role motorists' decisions can play in roadway safety.

The study focused specifically on September, described in the analysis as "Labor Day month," rather than crashes occurring only during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Population information used to calculate the per-capita rankings came from the U.S. Census Bureau, while fatal crash figures came from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

YEAR-TO-DATE IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY: Outside of the Labor Day focused travel, and specifically in Rutherford County, fatalities appear to be be down by 20% this year. Year-to-date, there have been 19 fatal accidents in Rutherford County alone. Last year at this time, there were 24 fatalities, five more than this year over the same period. In 2024, there were 23 fatal accidents between January 1 and September 4.

Of the fatal accidents reported during the first nine months and four days of this year, three involved a teen driver, the same number recorded last year. In 2024, five of the 23 fatalities involved a teenager behind the wheel.

Speed has not played as significant a role in the number of fatal crashes this year when compared with last year. This year, speed was likely a contributing factor in at least one fatal incident, while that number stood at six last year. In 2024, between January 1 and September 4, a speeding driver was tied to at least two of the fatal accident reports filed.

Photo Above Report: Air Evac helicopter in background at the scene of a serious auto accident.