33,653 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2018

Of the 47 total fatalities, 32 were motorists, and 15 were pedestrians; no cyclists were killed. Among the 9,892 people injured, the vast majority were motorists (9,412), while 403 pedestrians and 77 cyclists sustained injuries. These figures highlight that while motorists account for the largest number of casualties, pedestrians represent a significant portion of fatalities.

Crash frequencies peaked during the work week, with Friday being the most common day for incidents, recording 5,616 crashes. The evening commute was the most hazardous time of day, with a peak of 2,980 crashes occurring during the 5 p.m. hour. Overall, 70.1% of crashes occurred during daylight hours.

The vast majority of crashes, 78.6% or 26,447 incidents, resulted in no reported injuries. Crashes involving some level of injury accounted for 21.3% of the total. A total of 44 crashes were classified as fatal, which resulted in 47 individual fatalities, indicating some crashes involved more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 44 fatal crash events resulted in 47 persons killed.

The majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 77.7% happening in clear weather and 77.6% on dry road surfaces. Over 70% of all incidents took place in daylight. Adverse conditions were less frequent, with 3,946 crashes occurring during rain and 5,867 on wet roadways.

Among all persons involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 13,707 individuals. Analysis of the 65,017 vehicles involved shows that Honda, Toyota, and Ford were the most frequent makes, with 7,226, 6,748, and 5,844 vehicles respectively.

The most crashes, 11,716 or 34.8% of the total, occurred in zones with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. Within this speed zone, 0.12% of crashes were fatal. While lower speed zones saw more total crashes, the rate of fatal crashes within a zone was sometimes higher at increased speeds; for instance, 0.69% of crashes in 45 mph zones were fatal.

The geographic distribution of crashes is concentrated in the county's urban centers. The city of Bridgeport accounted for the largest share with 6,276 incidents, or 18.6% of the county total. Stamford followed with 5,169 crashes (15.4%), and Norwalk had 3,749 crashes (11.1%). Together, these three cities represented 45.1% of all crashes in Fairfield County.

Minor Arterial roads saw the highest number of crashes, with 8,827 incidents. Roadways classified as Principal Arterials were next with 6,607 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways, including Interstates (4,231) and Freeways/Expressways (3,018), accounted for 7,249 crashes, or approximately 21.5% of the total.

Analysis by route system shows a split between state-maintained and local roadways. Crashes on state-maintained routes, including Interstate, US Route, and State routes, totaled 16,882. This compares to 14,159 crashes that occurred on local roads.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority (30,800) occurred on public roads. A total of 1,949 crashes, representing approximately 6.0% of this subset, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives.

The overwhelming majority of crashes occurred in urban settings, with 30,195 incidents classified as urban. In contrast, 486 crashes, or about 1.6% of those with a defined location type, were recorded in rural areas.

The most common crash location was not at an intersection, accounting for 22,594 incidents. However, a significant number of crashes, 10,854 or 32.4% of those with junction data, occurred at or were related to an intersection. The most frequent intersection types involved were T-intersections (5,043) and four-way intersections (4,982).

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most frequently struck item was categorized as 'Other Fixed Object' (737), followed by guardrail faces (490) and utility poles or light supports (479). Combined, collisions with utility poles (479) and trees (366) accounted for 845 incidents of this type.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 37,238 vehicles, followed by Sport Utility Vehicles at 15,839. Medium and heavy trucks were involved in 1,672 incidents, while motorcycles were involved in 251 crashes.

In crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists, pedestrians were the most frequent group, with 442 incidents. There were 248 crashes involving motorcyclists and 94 involving bicyclists. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 536 crashes, representing 68.4% of these specific incident types.

Among contributing actions cited for drivers, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common, noted for 10,166 drivers. This was followed by 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' with 5,478 instances and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' with 3,568 instances.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several other conditions were noted. A total of 577 drivers were determined to be under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Additionally, 378 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued, and 216 were noted as being in an emotional state.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was 'Straight Ahead,' recorded for 28,266 vehicles. The next most frequent actions were 'Stopped in Traffic' (7,455 vehicles) and 'Slowing' (5,166 vehicles).

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact, recorded as 'Sector 12 (North)' for 17,660 vehicles, representing 27.2% of all vehicles with impact data. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South)', was the second most common impact point, involved in 13,555 collisions.

Among pedestrians involved in crashes where an action was recorded, 57 were cited for 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way'. Other noted actions included 'In Roadway Improperly' (41 pedestrians) and 'Dart/Dash' (30 pedestrians). A large portion, 245 pedestrians, were recorded as having taken no improper action.

Rear-end collisions were the most prevalent type of crash, with 'Front to rear' impacts accounting for 12,680 incidents, or 37.7% of all multi-vehicle collisions. Angle collisions were the second most common type, representing 19.9% of crashes with 6,710 occurrences.

Of the 82,397 individuals involved in crashes, the majority (61,090 or 74.1%) were drivers. Passengers constituted the next largest group with 18,350 individuals. The data also includes 461 pedestrians and 94 bicyclists.

Out of 82,397 people involved in crashes, 9,892 individuals, or 12.0%, sustained some level of injury. A total of 47 people suffered fatal injuries, accounting for approximately 0.06% of all persons involved. The majority of individuals, 70,179 people, were not injured.

Among vehicle occupants where safety equipment use was recorded, the majority utilized some form of restraint. However, 1,053 occupants were noted as having used no restraint system at the time of the crash.

The majority of incidents were two-vehicle crashes, accounting for 26,453, or 78.6% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common, with 4,992 incidents, representing 14.8% of all crashes. The data includes multi-vehicle pile-ups, with one crash involving as many as 8 vehicles.