PORTSMOUTH, NH – September 16, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
This report, distributed by Elmore Law Office, examines newly published federal data showing New Hampshire traffic fatalities and crashes both increased in 2025.
The New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety reported a 4.5 percent increase in overall traffic fatalities in 2025 compared to 2024, along with an 8.3 percent increase in overall crashes statewide, according to the office’s FY 2025 Annual Report submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The report described the crash increase as evidence of the continued need for highway safety improvements across the state.
New Hampshire’s lowest annual fatality count since the state began tracking the figure in 1973 was 90 deaths, recorded in 2011, according to the same report. The state’s Office of Highway Safety has continued coordinating impaired driving task force meetings and traffic safety commission meetings into the current federal fiscal year, aimed at improving alcohol-related laws and other highway safety measures.
Unrestrained vehicle occupants accounted for 33 New Hampshire traffic deaths in 2025, below the state’s five-year rolling average of 44.2 unrestrained occupant fatalities for 2021 through 2025, meeting the state’s own performance target for that category.
The state’s highway safety efforts have included the “Think and Drive 603” messaging campaign, run across multiple media platforms alongside high-crash-corridor enforcement involving New Hampshire State Police, local police departments, and county sheriff’s offices. Enforcement patrols have focused on corridors including Routes 125, 16, 101, 28, and 3, along with Interstates 293, 93, 89, and 95, according to the same annual report.
Elmore Law Office represents injury victims in both New Hampshire and neighboring Massachusetts, where fault-based recovery rules differ slightly between the two states. In New Hampshire, an injured party can recover damages as long as they are not more than 50 percent at fault for a crash. In Massachusetts, an injured party can recover damages as long as they are less than 50 percent at fault, a narrower standard that excludes cases of exactly equal fault.
Both New Hampshire and Massachusetts generally allow three years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Separate and often much shorter notice requirements can apply to certain categories of claims, meaning a person injured in a crash may need to take formal action well before the three-year filing deadline to preserve all available legal options.
New Hampshire does not require drivers to carry auto insurance, though drivers who do purchase a policy are required to also carry uninsured motorist coverage under state law. Massachusetts, by contrast, requires all drivers to maintain minimum auto insurance coverage, including bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and personal injury protection.
The state’s Office of Highway Safety has also continued outreach efforts through community partnerships, including work with local organizations to help improve driving behavior statewide. In the current federal fiscal year, the office plans to continue reaching out to local law enforcement agencies to help distribute impaired driving and other highway safety messaging to the public.
The traffic safety information referenced in this release was compiled by the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The figures are presented for general public awareness and are subject to revision as final crash data is processed.
Elmore Law Office represents car accident victims in Portsmouth and throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
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For more information about Elmore Law Office, contact the company here:
Elmore Law Office
John P. Elmore
+16039291117
john@elmoreinjurylaw.com
264 Lafayette Rd Unit B2A, Portsmouth, NH 03801, United States
