Working-Age Adults, Not Teens or Seniors, Bear the Heaviest Burden of Charlotte’s Traffic Deaths, New Study Finds

A new study from Shane Smith Law of Charlotte’s 113 traffic fatalities in 2024 has found that working-age adults, not the very young or very old drivers commonly assumed to be most at risk, suffered the greatest share of the city’s road deaths, while men were killed at nearly four times the rate of women.

According to the study, 88 of Charlotte’s 113 traffic fatalities in 2024 were male, compared to 25 female, meaning men accounted for 78% of all deaths recorded. Researchers describe the disparity as consistent with decades of national road safety research showing men die in traffic crashes at significantly higher rates than women.

“More miles on the road, more late-night travel, a higher level of involvement in commercial driving, risky driving behavior, low seatbelt compliance, and high rates of impaired driving all contribute to the disparity,” said a spokesperson for Shane Smith Law, which conducted the study. “Men should be the main focus when targeted enforcement and behavioral interventions are deployed.”

The gender gap widens after dark

The study found the disparity between male and female fatalities was most pronounced during the city’s highest-risk overnight hours. Every person killed in Charlotte between 1:00am and 5:59am in 2024 was male, as was every fatality recorded during the 10:00pm hour specifically, time periods the study already identifies as strongly associated with alcohol impairment, speeding, and other high-risk driving behaviors on comparatively empty roads. The gap narrowed somewhat during daylight hours, though women still represented a smaller share of fatalities across every period studied.

Ages 25 to 54 account for more than half of all deaths

Contrary to the common assumption that road deaths cluster among teenagers and elderly drivers, the study found that adults between the ages of 25 and 54 accounted for more than half of Charlotte’s total traffic fatalities in 2024.

The 25 to 34 age group suffered the highest number of deaths of any group, 24 fatalities, 21% of the citywide total, which researchers attribute to a combination of high mileage, late-night activity, and elevated rates of risky driving behavior. The 45 to 54 age group followed closely behind with 21 fatalities, a notable figure given that middle-aged drivers are generally considered comparatively low-risk; the study attributes this to the sheer amount of time this age group spends behind the wheel due to commuting and family transportation responsibilities. The 35 to 44 age group added a further 14 fatalities.

Younger and older drivers carry a smaller, but still significant, share

Younger drivers were also well represented in the fatality data. The 16 to 20 age group suffered 13 deaths, and the 21 to 24 age group suffered 11, while three children under the age of 16 were also killed, a figure the study says underscores how heavily young passengers’ safety depends on the decisions of the adults driving them.

Older adults accounted for a comparatively smaller share of fatalities. The 55 to 64 and 65 to 74 age groups each suffered 10 deaths, while those aged 75 and older suffered 6. The study notes that although older drivers are involved in fewer fatal crashes overall, they tend to be more vulnerable to severe injury once a crash occurs, due to factors like waning eyesight, slower reaction times, and medication-related impairment, meaning a serious collision is statistically more likely to prove fatal for this age group.

Rethinking who safety campaigns should target

“Charlotte’s age group data tells us that, while traffic fatalities are certainly not isolated to one generation, the greatest concentration of deaths occurred among working-age adults between the ages of 25 and 54,” the study concludes, adding that this pattern suggests road safety campaigns may be more effective if they broaden their focus beyond the traditionally targeted groups of new teen drivers and elderly motorists.

Combined with the study’s finding that men are killed at nearly four times the rate of women, and that risk is heavily concentrated in specific overnight and evening windows, researchers argue that Charlotte’s traffic safety strategy needs to account for a wider and more complex set of vulnerable groups than commonly assumed.