Some car crashes are the deliberate result of suicides. This especially applies to single-occupant, single-vehicle accidents. “The automobile lends itself admirably to attempts at self-destruction because of the frequency of its use, the generally accepted inherent hazards of driving, and the fact that it offers the individual an opportunity to imperil or end his life without consciously confronting himself with his suicidal intent.” There is always the risk that a car accident will affect other road users, for example a car that brakes abruptly or swerves to avoid a suicidal pedestrian may get into a collision with something else on the road.

The real percentage of suicides among car accidents is not reliably known; studies by suicide researchers tell that “vehicular fatalities that are suicides vary from 1.6% to 5%”. Some suicides are misclassified as accidents, because suicide must be proven; “It is noteworthy that even when suicide is strongly suspected but a suicide note is not found, the case will be classified an ‘accident.’”

Some researchers believe that suicides disguised as traffic accidents are far more prevalent than previously thought. One large-scale community survey (in Australia) among suicidal persons provided the following numbers: “Of those who reported planning a suicide, 14.8% (19.1% of male planners and 11.8% of female planners) had conceived to have a motor vehicle “accident”… Of all attempters, 8.3% (13.3% of male attempters) had previously attempted via motor vehicle collision.”