Short answer
Short answer. Federal FARS data list at least 110 fatal crashes, with at least 118 deaths, on I-35, I-40, I-240 and I-44 inside Oklahoma City limits from 2020 to 2024. By road, that's at least 41 on I-40, 37 on I-44, 17 on I-240 and 15 on I-35, each counted under the road the officer recorded (2024 is preliminary).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national data files 2020–2023 (final) and 2024 (preliminary)
FARS is NHTSA's count of crashes on public roads in which someone died within 30 days. On all roads inside Oklahoma City limits, FARS recorded 445 fatal crashes from 2020 to 2024, and 465 people died in them. The counts include crashes involving every type of motor vehicle, not just cars. These are counts, not rates. Traffic volume isn't accounted for, so they don't show how risky any road is per trip.
FARS fatal-crash counts inside Oklahoma City limits, 2020–2024 (2024 preliminary)
| Interstate | Fatal crashes, at least | People killed, at least |
|---|---|---|
| I-35 | 15 | 16 |
| I-40 | 41 | 45 |
| I-240 | 17 | 19 |
| I-44 | 37 | 38 |
| All four (each crash counted once) | 110 | 118 |
| All roads in Oklahoma City (FARS city code) | 445 | 465 |
Taking 2020 through 2024 together, I-40 had the highest count of fatal crashes of the four in this data.
2020 through 2023 are NHTSA's final files. 2024 is NHTSA's Annual Report File, which NHTSA says "is subject to change when it is finalized."
How these were counted. Each crash counts once, under the road the reporting officer recorded as its main road. Ramps count with their interstate; frontage and service roads don't. A crash where the interstate is listed only as the secondary road isn't counted here. On the shared I-35/I-40 stretch, a crash counts only under the name the officer wrote; one coded "I-40 I-35 Stanley Draper" counts under I-40. Crashes are matched to Oklahoma City by the FARS city code, and no record was recoded. Each road count is a minimum. For a combined figure, use the all-four line. Year-by-year counts are in the footnote table.
I-35
FARS lists at least 15 fatal crashes on I-35 inside Oklahoma City limits, with at least 16 deaths. One was coded to Cleveland County. Through the metro, I-35 runs through Oklahoma County and then Cleveland County, crossing the county line south of I-240 (ODOT county maps). Crashes in Edmond, Moore and Norman fall outside this count.
ODOT's advice for any interstate: give yourself a "cushion of safety," with open space in front, behind and on the sides. Check current traffic and road conditions first with ODOT's Drive Oklahoma app.
I-40
FARS lists at least 41 fatal crashes on I-40 inside Oklahoma City limits, with at least 45 deaths. Four were coded to Canadian County, where the city's limits reach west. On ODOT's county maps, I-40 runs past Yukon in Canadian County and across Oklahoma City, Del City and Midwest City in Oklahoma County. Only the Oklahoma City part is counted here.
For work zones, ODOT and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's 2026 campaign asks drivers to "slow down, stay alert, avoid distractions and buckle up when traveling through work zones."
I-240
FARS lists at least 17 fatal crashes on I-240 inside Oklahoma City limits, with at least 19 deaths. On ODOT's Oklahoma County map, I-240 lies wholly in Oklahoma County, running roughly along the SW/SE 74th Street line from I-44 east past I-35 to I-40. Five of the 17 records name an I-240 ramp or the shared I-240/US-62 route, so give merging traffic room.
I-44
FARS lists at least 37 fatal crashes on I-44 inside Oklahoma City limits, with at least 38 deaths. Two were coded to Cleveland County, and one record names the Turner Turnpike stretch of I-44. Crashes outside the city limits aren't counted.
What to do after a crash on these roads
- Get clear if you can. ODOT's advice for pulling off the highway: "Get as far off the highway as possible and away from traffic; put hazard lights on; stay in the vehicle, if possible; and stay aware of your surroundings."
- Call it in. After a crash with injury or death, the driver must "immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of such accident to the local police department, if such accident occurs within a municipality, or to the office of the county sheriff or the nearest office of the State Highway Patrol after complying with the requirements of Section 47-10-104" (47 O.S. § 10-107).
- Who may respond to your crash. OHP has primary authority and must investigate collisions on all interstates, including inside city limits; local police authority there is supplemental (47 O.S. § 2-117(B)(10) and (D)(2); 2025 OK AG 11). Check the agency on your paperwork.
- Write down where you were: road, direction, nearest exit or cross street, lane, and the city on the nearest sign.
- Get the report. See how to get an Oklahoma crash report.
- Be careful with insurance calls. Read talking to the other driver's insurer before a recorded statement.
More help: what to do after a crash, Oklahoma car accident deadlines, government vehicle crashes, records after a crash with a commercial truck and questions after a fatal crash. Road guides: I-35, I-40, I-240, I-44 and I-235, Kilpatrick Turnpike, Oklahoma City highway crashes and Oklahoma City crash data. Those guides count by county, so their numbers differ. See also Oklahoma City car wreck help and car wreck help across the Oklahoma City metro.
Common questions
How many people died in crashes inside Oklahoma City limits from 2020 to 2024?
FARS recorded 465 people killed in 445 fatal crashes on all roads (2024 is preliminary). At least 118 died in crashes on I-35, I-40, I-240 and I-44.
Are the 2024 numbers final?
No. NHTSA calls the current 2024 file the Annual Report File and says it "is subject to change when it is finalized." The 2020 through 2023 files are final.
Who investigates a crash on an interstate inside Oklahoma City?
OHP has primary authority and must investigate collisions on all interstates, including inside city limits; local police authority there is supplemental (47 O.S. § 2-117). Check the agency on your paperwork.
Talk with us
Hurt in a crash on one of these roads? Jason Hicks personally reviews every 405 inquiry. Contact 405 Injury by Hicks Law Firm.
Footnote: year-by-year FARS counts inside Oklahoma City limits
Fatal crashes / people killed, at least, by the road the officer recorded. 2024 is preliminary.
| Road | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-35 | 4 / 4 | 3 / 3 | 2 / 2 | 3 / 4 | 3 / 3 |
| I-40 | 13 / 13 | 10 / 11 | 7 / 7 | 8 / 9 | 3 / 5 |
| I-240 | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 | 2 / 2 | 3 / 4 | 4 / 5 |
| I-44 | 5 / 5 | 6 / 6 | 8 / 8 | 14 / 14 | 4 / 5 |
| All roads (city code, exact) | 79 / 81 | 96 / 100 | 86 / 88 | 93 / 99 | 91 / 97 |
Sources: NHTSA FARS national accident files, 2020–2023 final and 2024 Annual Report File (2024 file; other years at the same path); NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report Tables; NHTSA FARS Analytical User's Manual, 1975–2024; ODOT county maps; ODOT, Make Safety Stick: Everybody Click; ODOT, Drive Oklahoma; ODOT, Safe Actions Save Lives (Apr. 8, 2026). Checked Oct. 30, 2026.
Information, not legal advice.