Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · ALABAMA · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/alabama/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
80 CRASHES IN
ALABAMA
SEPTEMBER 2023
Fatal crashes in Alabama decreased by 5.88%, from 85 in September 2022 to 80 in September 2023. Total fatalities also saw a reduction, moving from 93 to 87. A notable shift was the 50% reduction in fatal pedestrian crashes, which decreased from 10 to 5 year-over-year.
80
▼ -5.9%was 85
Total Crash Events
87
▼ -6.5%was 93
Persons Killed
45
▼ -8.2%was 49
Persons Injured
3
▼ -40.0%was 5
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (87) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (80) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Overall, fatal crash data for Alabama indicates a downward trend year-over-year. The number of fatal crashes decreased by 5, representing a 5.88% reduction, while total fatalities also fell by 6, a 6.45% decrease. Similarly, total injuries declined by 8.16%, from 49 to 45.
3
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
▼ -40.0% vs prior (5)
The number of fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 5 in the prior period to 3 in the current period. This represents a reduction in the hit-and-run rate from 5.9% to 3.8% of all fatal crashes.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
5
Pedestrians Killed
2
Cyclists Killed
80
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
45
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes remained Saturday, with 17 crashes in both periods. However, the peak hour shifted from 5 PM with 7 fatal crashes in the prior period to 3 PM with 8 fatal crashes in the current period. Sunday saw a 50% decrease in fatal crashes, falling from 16 to 8 year-over-year.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions increased slightly from 66 to 68, while those in rainy conditions decreased from 5 to 3. Fatal crashes during daylight hours decreased from 48 to 37, whereas crashes in dark conditions without lighting increased from 18 to 23, and in dark conditions with lighting increased from 12 to 16. Road surface condition data was not available for comparison.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Chevrolet remained the most frequently involved vehicle make in fatal crashes, increasing from 18 to 21. Conversely, Honda involvement decreased from 13 to 8, and Harley-Davidson saw a significant reduction from 9 to 4. In terms of persons involved, the 26-34 age group experienced a decrease from 30 to 19, while the 35-44 age group remained highest with 35 persons in the current period compared to 34 in the prior period.
Top Vehicle Makes (119 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
6 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (164 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes occurring in 55 mph speed zones saw a substantial increase, rising from 12 in the prior period to 23 in the current period. Crashes in 45 mph zones decreased from 26 to 22, while those in 35 mph zones increased from 5 to 13. All reported speed zones had a 100% fatal crash rate in both periods.
Fatal crashes by zone: 20 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 35 mph: 13 of 13 (100%) · 40 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 45 mph: 22 of 22 (100%) · 55 mph: 23 of 23 (100%) · 60 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 65 mph: 7 of 7 (100%) · 70 mph: 8 of 8 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' which decreased from 53 fatal crashes (62.4%) in the prior period to 49 fatal crashes (61.3%) in the current period. Front-to-rear fatal crashes decreased from 11 to 7, while front-to-front fatal crashes increased from 10 to 11.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The most common vehicle body types involved in fatal crashes were 4-door sedans and light pickups in both periods, with 4-door sedans decreasing from 30 to 29 and light pickups from 26 to 25. Two-wheel motorcycles saw a significant decrease in involvement, from 17 fatal crashes in the prior period to 9 in the current period. Truck-tractors (large trucks) involved in fatal crashes increased from 6 to 9.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 19 reported. 10 additional (15 total) not shown: Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle, Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Other vehicle type (includes go-cart, fork-lift, city street sweeper dunes/swamp buggy), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Van-Based Bus GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs., Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Auto-based pickup (includes E1 Camino, Caballero, Ranchero, SSR, G8-ST, Subaru Brat, Rabbit Pickup), 3-door/2-door hatchback, Off-road Motorcycle.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Fatal crashes in rural areas increased slightly from 45 to 48, while urban fatal crashes decreased from 40 to 32. In the current period, rural fatal crashes accounted for 48 of 80 total fatal crashes, continuing to represent a larger share than urban fatal crashes.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Minor Arterial roadways saw an increase in fatal crashes from 17 to 28, making it the functional class with the most fatal crashes in the current period. Major Collector roadways experienced a decrease from 25 to 12 fatal crashes. Interstate fatal crashes remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 12 to 11.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies were associated with the highest number of fatal crashes in both periods, increasing from 43 to 45. County Highway Agencies saw a decrease in associated fatal crashes from 28 to 24. Fatal crashes on roadways owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies also decreased, from 14 to 11.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers continued to be the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, decreasing from 127 to 119. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes saw a 50% reduction, falling from 10 to 5. The number of passengers involved also decreased from 45 to 40, while bicyclists increased from 1 to 2.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of persons sustaining fatal injuries (K) decreased from 93 to 87 year-over-year. Conversely, persons with serious injuries (A) increased from 16 to 22. Those with minor injuries (B) decreased from 25 to 14, and persons with no reported injuries (O) decreased from 42 to 35.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons reported as using 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment in fatal crashes increased from 63 to 73. Conversely, those reported as using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased significantly from 96 to 72. This indicates a shift towards a higher proportion of unrestrained individuals in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The dominant point of impact in fatal crashes remained the '12 Clock Point' (front), decreasing slightly from 73 to 69. '6 Clock Point' (rear) impacts decreased from 13 to 7. 'Non-Collision' events, which are not direct impacts, also decreased from 10 to 5.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 9 smaller categories (15 records): 5 Clock Point (2), 4 Clock Point (2), 8 Clock Point (2), 9 Clock Point (2), 2 Clock Point (2), Reported as Unknown (2), Cargo/Vehicle Parts Set-In-Motion (1), Undercarriage (1), Top (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 50 to 44 year-over-year, remaining the most frequent type. Two-vehicle fatal crashes increased slightly from 27 to 28. Fatal crashes involving three vehicles increased from 5 to 8.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Alabama
- Total crash records analyzed: 80
- Total persons involved: 167
- Total vehicles involved: 119
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Alabama Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/alabama/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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