MileCheckIn 2022, EMS took an average of 13.2 minutes from being notified to reaching a rural fatal crash. For urban fatal crashes the average was 7.6 minutes. These numbers come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. They cover fatal crashes only, not every highway crash.
When does the response clock start?
The response time runs from when EMS is notified to when EMS arrives at the scene. The time before that, from the crash to the call reaching EMS, is counted separately. It averaged 5.9 minutes for rural fatal crashes and 3.8 minutes for urban ones.
Where both times were known, EMS reached the scene within 10 minutes of notification in 47.7% of rural fatal crashes. For urban fatal crashes it was 81.8%.
How long from EMS arrival to the hospital?
From EMS arriving at the scene to arriving at a hospital averaged 40.8 minutes rural and 27.1 minutes urban. That includes time spent at the scene, so it is not the ambulance's driving time. From the crash itself to the hospital averaged 56.0 minutes rural and 36.6 minutes urban. Each interval is averaged over the crashes where its own two times were recorded, so they don't add up.
Crash to hospital took between 61 and 120 minutes in 37.9% of rural fatal crashes with known times. For urban it was 9.5%.
How complete are these times?
There were 15,541 rural and 23,482 urban fatal crashes in 2022. The time from notification to arrival was unavailable for 56.4% of the rural ones and 62.5% of the urban ones. The averages use only crashes where both times were recorded. NHTSA gives no notification-to-arrival averages for Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina, Virginia or Washington.
What should you tell dispatch?
NHTSA measures response time from when EMS is notified. When you call 911, follow the dispatcher's questions. Give the road and your direction of travel, and the nearest mile marker if you know it. NHTSA's figures don't measure whether that changes response times.
Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2022 (DOT HS 813 656), Tables 27, 122 and 123
What EMS response times did each state report for fatal crashes?
Average minutes from EMS notification to arrival at the scene, fatal crashes, 2022. States are listed alphabetically. Some averages rest on very few crashes with known times and are not typical statewide response times. Where most times are unknown, the share is shown. Where 90% or more are unknown, the number is left out.
| State | Rural | Urban |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 13.2 | 7.6 |
| Alabama | 16.9 | 11.1 |
| Alaska | 17.8 | 6.0 |
| Arizona | 16.9 | 6.8 |
| Arkansas | 14.4 | 7.7 |
| California | Too few known times (91% unknown) | Too few known times (93% unknown) |
| Colorado | 13.2 (59% unknown) | 6.0 |
| Connecticut | 7.7 | 7.4 |
| Delaware | 8.6 | 6.8 |
| District of Columbia | Not reported | 4.7 |
| Florida | Too few known times (96% unknown) | Too few known times (97% unknown) |
| Georgia | 11.2 | 8.6 |
| Hawaii | 15.8 | 8.5 |
| Idaho | 13.6 | 6.7 |
| Illinois | 11.2 | 6.7 |
| Indiana | Not reported | Not reported |
| Iowa | 12.9 (64% unknown) | 5.8 |
| Kansas | 12.0 | 6.2 |
| Kentucky | 11.5 | 6.8 |
| Louisiana | 15.0 (51% unknown) | 8.7 (55% unknown) |
| Maine | 12.5 | 6.8 |
| Maryland | Not reported | Not reported |
| Massachusetts | 8.5 | 6.3 |
| Michigan | 11.6 | 6.4 (56% unknown) |
| Minnesota | 10.5 | 7.0 |
| Mississippi | 19.4 (82% unknown) | 10.9 (79% unknown) |
| Missouri | 15.0 | 7.8 |
| Montana | 13.9 | 7.5 |
| Nebraska | 11.3 | 5.0 |
| Nevada | Too few known times (99% unknown) | 6.8 (67% unknown) |
| New Hampshire | 10.1 | 7.9 |
| New Jersey | 9.8 | 7.3 |
| New Mexico | Not reported | Not reported |
| New York | 11.6 | 7.2 |
| North Carolina | 10.7 (56% unknown) | 7.0 (55% unknown) |
| North Dakota | 16.9 | 6.5 |
| Ohio | 11.1 | 5.9 |
| Oklahoma | 22.0 (80% unknown) | 11.9 (69% unknown) |
| Oregon | 12.9 | 7.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 11.8 | 7.0 |
| Puerto Rico | 10.3 (84% unknown) | 10.4 (81% unknown) |
| Rhode Island | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| South Carolina | Not reported | Not reported |
| South Dakota | 15.1 | 7.5 |
| Tennessee | Too few known times (93% unknown) | Too few known times (96% unknown) |
| Texas | Too few known times (98% unknown) | Too few known times (97% unknown) |
| Utah | 18.0 | 5.7 |
| Vermont | 10.8 | 5.8 |
| Virginia | Not reported | Not reported |
| Washington | Not reported | Not reported |
| West Virginia | 17.3 (70% unknown) | 7.0 (65% unknown) |
| Wisconsin | 10.6 | 6.2 |
| Wyoming | 19.5 | 6.1 |
See also how long it takes to clear a highway crash and what EMTs earn.