32,469 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2015

In 2015, a total of 38 people were killed and 9,145 were injured in Fairfield County crashes. Among these, 5 pedestrians were killed and 383 were injured. While no cyclists were killed, 113 sustained injuries. The largest group of casualties were motorists, with 33 fatalities and 8,648 injuries recorded.

Crash frequency in Fairfield County peaked on Fridays, with 5,415 incidents reported throughout the year. The single busiest hour for crashes was the 5 p.m. hour, which saw 2,751 events, aligning with the evening commute. Overall, crashes were most common during daytime hours, with incident volumes increasing from the morning and peaking in the late afternoon.

The vast majority of crashes in 2015, 79.4%, resulted in no injuries and were classified as property-damage-only. Injury-related crashes accounted for 20.5% of the total, encompassing serious, minor, and possible injuries. There were 37 distinct fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 38 fatalities, indicating at least one crash involved multiple deaths.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 37 fatal crash events resulted in 38 persons killed.

A significant majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 79.6% happening in clear weather and 78.3% on dry road surfaces. Approximately 72.0% of all incidents took place during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse weather included 2,823 in rain and 1,268 in snow, while incidents on non-dry surfaces included 4,493 on wet roads.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the most represented age groups were 26-34 years old (12,384 people), 45-54 (12,104 people), and 35-44 (11,541 people). Among the 62,485 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes, after consolidating variations in reporting, were Honda, Toyota, and Ford. These were followed by Nissan, Chevrolet, and Jeep.

The speed zone with the highest number of crashes was 25 mph, accounting for 9,324 incidents, or 28.7% of the total. The 55 mph zone had the second-highest volume with 5,049 crashes. While lower speed zones saw more crashes, the percentage of crashes within a zone that were fatal tended to increase with the speed limit; 0.68% of crashes in 45 mph zones were fatal, compared to 0.218% in 55 mph zones and 0.064% in 25 mph zones.

The geographic distribution of crashes across Fairfield County was concentrated in its largest urban centers. The city of Bridgeport recorded the most crashes with 5,535, representing 17.0% of the county's total. Stamford followed closely with 5,372 crashes (16.5%), and Danbury accounted for 3,640 crashes (11.2%).

Among crashes where the road class was specified, 'Minor Arterial' roads saw the highest number of incidents with 1,168. This was followed by 'Local' roads with 1,099 crashes and 'Collector' roads with 774. Limited-access highways, including Interstates and Freeways/Expressways, collectively accounted for 1,022 of these crashes.

Crashes were nearly evenly split between local and state-maintained routes. Local roads accounted for 13,790 crashes (46.8% of those with known route systems). State-maintained routes, which include State, Interstate, and US Routes, collectively saw 15,694 crashes, representing 53.2% of the total.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was recorded, the vast majority occurred on public roads (29,011 incidents). A total of 1,907 crashes, or 6.2% of this subset, took place on private property such as parking lots, private drives, or within private developments.

In the subset of crashes with a rural-urban designation, incidents were overwhelmingly concentrated in urban areas, which saw 4,257 crashes. Rural areas accounted for 273 crashes, representing 6.0% of this specific dataset.

The majority of crashes, 21,707, occurred at locations not classified as intersections. Of the 10,404 crashes that did happen at junctions, T-intersections (4,884) and four-way intersections (4,801) were the most common locations. Combined, all types of intersections accounted for 32.4% of crashes where junction type was identified.

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most frequently struck objects were guardrail faces (512 incidents), utility poles or light supports (484), and trees (308). Collisions with poles and trees combined accounted for 792 of these run-off-road incidents. Other commonly struck objects included curbs (360) and concrete traffic barriers (266).

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 39,936 of all vehicles. Sport Utility Vehicles were the second most frequent with 11,110 involved. Notably, 1,755 medium or heavy trucks were involved in crashes, along with 259 motorcycles and 526 buses of various types.

For vehicles involved in crashes where traffic control was noted, the most common situation was the absence of a control device, recorded for 43,867 vehicles. Traffic signals were present for 12,939 vehicles involved in crashes, and stop signs were the primary control for 4,046 vehicles. A smaller number of vehicles were involved at locations with yield signs (237) or flashing signals (415).

There were 798 crashes recorded involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Of these, pedestrians were involved in 415 incidents and bicyclists in 130. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists made up 68.3% of these specific crash types, while motorcyclists were involved in the remaining 253 crashes.

Among driver actions cited as contributing factors, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common, attributed to 9,703 drivers. The next most frequent actions were 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' (4,282 drivers) and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (3,039 drivers). These actions were followed by 'Improper Backing' (2,678 drivers) and 'Improper Turn' (1,145 drivers).

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several contributing conditions were noted. A total of 609 drivers were identified as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Additionally, 354 drivers were noted as being asleep or fatigued, and 227 were described as emotional at the time of the crash.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was moving 'Straight Ahead,' which was recorded for 26,347 vehicles, or 42.2% of the total. The second most frequent status was 'Stopped in Traffic,' noted for 6,987 vehicles (11.2%). Other common pre-crash movements included 'Slowing' (5,207 vehicles) and 'Turning Left' (4,122 vehicles).

The most common point of impact was the front of the vehicle, described as 'Sector 12 (North) in the 12-point Clock Diagram,' which occurred in 17,059 instances (27.3% of vehicles). The second most frequent impact point was the rear of the vehicle, or 'Sector 6 (South),' recorded for 13,369 vehicles (21.4%).

Among the 519 pedestrian actions recorded, the most common was 'No Improper Action,' noted in 279 cases. The most frequently cited improper actions included 'In Roadway Improperly' (44 instances), 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' (43 instances), and 'Failure to Obey Traffic Signs, Signals, or Officer' (33 instances).

The most prevalent manner of collision was 'Front to rear,' accounting for 12,331 crashes, or 38.0% of all incidents with a specified collision type. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 5,865 crashes (18.1%), followed by same-direction sideswipes, which occurred in 4,471 crashes (13.8%).

A total of 79,139 people were involved in crashes, with drivers being the largest group at 58,171 individuals (73.5%). Passengers constituted the next largest group, with 17,998 people involved (22.7%). Pedestrians (435) and bicyclists (130) together accounted for 0.7% of all persons involved.

Of the 79,139 people involved in traffic incidents, 67,639 (85.5%) sustained no injuries. A total of 9,145 individuals were injured, including 339 with serious injuries, 2,950 with minor injuries, and 5,856 with possible injuries. Overall, 38 individuals suffered fatal injuries.

The majority of vehicle occupants, 55,931, were recorded as using both a shoulder and lap belt. However, 1,330 occupants were documented as not using any form of restraint. An additional 6,348 were listed with 'Restraint Used, Type Unknown,' indicating the specific type of safety equipment could not be determined.

The most common incidents were two-vehicle crashes, which accounted for 25,361 collisions, or 78.1% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most frequent category, with 5,035 incidents (15.5%). Crashes involving three or more vehicles numbered 2,073, with the largest pile-ups involving up to 8 vehicles.