INDIANA — Traveling Indiana’s roads becomes significantly more dangerous after the sun goes down. A new study reveals that Indiana ranks among the top 20 worst states in the nation for nighttime speeding fatalities, with a massive 40.7% surge in deadly crashes after dark compared to daytime hours.
The research, conducted by the Florida-based injury law firm Blakeley Law Firm, analyzed five years of federal traffic safety data from 2020 to 2024. The findings highlight a sobering reality for the Hoosier State: night conditions—defined by reduced visibility, driver fatigue, and less congested roads that encourage higher speeds—are turning routine trips into fatal accidents.
According to the study, Indiana averages 228.2 speeding fatalities annually. Of those, an average of 133.4 occur at night, compared to 94.8 during the day. This means nighttime driving accounts for 58.5% of all speeding-related deaths in the state.
Indiana’s 40.7% spike in nighttime speeding deaths comfortably clears the national average increase of 32.79%, positioning the state at number 20 on the list of America’s deadliest states for nighttime speeding. Indiana sits just a fraction behind 19th-ranked Texas, which saw a 41.0% increase.
Over the five years analyzed, Indiana recorded a total of 667 nighttime speeding fatalities compared to 474 daytime deaths. This creates a nighttime-to-daytime multiplier of 1.4x, meaning a speed-related crash is nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to be fatal at night in Indiana.
How Indiana Compares Regionally
Compared to its Midwestern neighbors, Indiana sits in the middle of a heavily affected region. Several bordering states rank even higher for nighttime speeding dangers:
| Regional Rank | National Rank | State | Avg. Annual Daytime Fatalities | Avg. Annual Nighttime Fatalities | % Rise/Fall |
| 1 | #11 | Illinois | 153.6 | 234.6 | +52.7% |
| 2 | #12 | Michigan | 108.2 | 164.0 | +51.6% |
| 3 | #18 | Wisconsin | 69.4 | 98.0 | +41.2% |
| 4 | #20 | Indiana | 94.8 | 133.4 | +40.7% |
| 5 | #21 | Iowa | 27.6 | 38.2 | +38.4% |
| 6 | #22 | Kentucky | 48.8 | 67.2 | +37.7% |
While Indiana trails slightly behind Illinois (+52.7%) and Michigan (+51.6%), it remains ahead of Iowa and Kentucky. Experts note that the narrow 2.3 percentage point gap between Indiana and Iowa showcases how closely clustered the Midwest is regarding nighttime driving risks.
Nationally, Rhode Island ranked as the most dangerous state, seeing a staggering 107.9% increase in speeding fatalities at night. Florida (+84.4%) and Hawaii (+76.0%) rounded out the top three.
The Safest States After Dark
The trend of heightened nighttime risk is not universal across the United States. The bottom 10 states in the study averaged a combined decrease of 4.2% in speeding fatalities after dark.
In fact, five states recorded fewer speeding deaths at night than during the day. Alaska saw the most significant decline, with nighttime speeding deaths dropping by 16.4% compared to the daytime, a massive 57.1 percentage point difference from Indiana. Other states seeing a decrease included Wyoming (-13.3%), Vermont (-12.3%), West Virginia (-11.2%), and Utah (-7.0%).
Methodology Behind the Numbers
The study utilized data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Researchers compiled the total number of speed-related fatal crashes during daytime and nighttime hours from 2020 to 2024.
To determine the rankings, the five-year totals were annualized, and the percentage difference was calculated. States with the highest percentage increases from day to night were ranked at the top of the list, indicating the highest risk of shifting from daytime to nighttime driving conditions.
