Frontal impacts were the most common type of collision in both cities. In Chicago, 'FRONT' was the leading point of impact with 42,775 instances, followed by 'REAR' with 28,656. Similarly, New York's data shows 'Center Front End' as the most frequent impact point with 34,845 occurrences, followed by 'Left Front Bumper' with 20,886. Rear-end collisions were the second-largest category in both jurisdictions, indicating similar dominant crash dynamics.

In both cities, vehicles moving 'Straight Ahead' was the most common pre-crash action, accounting for 53.2% of specified actions in New York (79,743) and 49.7% in Chicago (102,900). The second most frequent action involved a 'Parked' vehicle, which was a factor in a greater share of New York's incidents (22.7% or 34,007 actions) compared to Chicago's (14.0% or 28,792 actions). Making a left turn was the third most common action preceding a crash in both jurisdictions.

The most common action for a pedestrian or cyclist involved in a crash was legally crossing with a signal in both cities, but this was far more prevalent in New York, representing 45.7% (4,161) of specified actions compared to 22.1% (1,146) in Chicago. New York reported a much higher absolute number of pedestrians and cyclists involved in crashes while crossing legally. The second most frequent action differed: in Chicago it was moving 'With Traffic' (949 incidents), while in New York it was 'Crossing, No Signal, or Crosswalk' (1,486 incidents).

Drivers were the largest group involved in crashes in both cities, but they made up a smaller share in New York (63.0% of persons, or 102,524) than in Chicago (77.8% of persons, or 185,530). New York reported a significantly higher proportion of vulnerable road users, with pedestrians and bicyclists comprising 10.1% (16,451) of all persons involved, compared to just 2.4% (5,725) in Chicago. Passengers also constituted a larger share of those involved in New York (25.9%) than in Chicago (19.6%).

A person involved in a crash in New York had a higher likelihood of being injured or killed than in Chicago. In New York, 17.0% of all persons involved sustained an injury (49,630 people) and 0.078% were killed (228 people). These rates are substantially higher than in Chicago, where 10.4% were injured (24,866 people) and 0.039% were killed (94 people). Consequently, 89.5% of people in Chicago's crashes reported no injury, compared to 82.9% in New York.

New York reported a significantly higher rate of safety equipment non-use among vehicle occupants. Of participants with a specified equipment status, 12.6% (14,267) in New York were recorded as using 'None'. This is over ten times the rate in Chicago, where only 1.24% (1,155) of occupants were recorded with 'Safety Belt Not Used' or 'Child Restraint Not Used'. Conversely, 'Safety Belt Used' was explicitly noted for 88,770 occupants in Chicago, compared to 64,407 for 'Lap Belt & Harness' in New York.

Crash composition differs markedly between the jurisdictions. Chicago's crashes were predominantly two-vehicle incidents, making up 88.5% (96,611) of the total. In stark contrast, New York reported a much lower share of two-vehicle crashes at 58.1% (49,657) and a significantly higher proportion of single-vehicle crashes, which accounted for 32.6% (27,888) of its total. Single-vehicle crashes were comparatively rare in Chicago, at only 5.0% (5,410) of all incidents.

Crash concentration varies significantly between the two jurisdictions. In New York, crashes were heavily concentrated in Brooklyn, which accounted for 28.4% (24,303) of the city's total. In contrast, Chicago's crashes were more geographically dispersed; its most active area, Police District 08, was responsible for only 8.7% (9,539) of the city's total crashes. The top five boroughs in New York accounted for 85.3% of crashes, while the top five districts in Chicago accounted for only 34.1%.