A DRIVER DIED after a vehicle crashed into a gate at the White House on Saturday night but the fatal collision is being investigated “only as a traffic crash”.

There was no threat to the US president’s residence, law enforcement authorities said.

The male driver, who was not immediately identified, was found dead in the vehicle following the crash shortly before 10.30pm at an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, the US Secret Service said in a statement.

The Washington Metropolitan Police Department said the vehicle crashed into a security barrier at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

The metro police said in a statement posted on social media that the incident is being investigated “only as a traffic crash”, rather than an intentional, politically motivated act,

Security protocols were implemented but there was no threat to the White House, the Secret Service said.

The Secret Service will continue to investigate the matter, while turning over the fatal crash portion of the investigation to the metro police, the agency said.