28,787 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2018

In 2018, 73 people were killed and 10,441 were injured in Hartford County crashes. Motorists comprised the largest group of casualties with 48 fatalities and 9,985 injuries. Vulnerable road users were also significantly impacted, with 25 pedestrians killed and 351 injured, while no cyclists were killed and 101 were injured.

Crash frequency in Hartford County peaked on Fridays, which saw 4,841 incidents, and during the 5 p.m. hour, with 2,847 crashes. Overall, a majority of collisions, 70.1%, occurred during daylight hours. The evening commute, particularly between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., represented the most concentrated period for crashes throughout the day.

The vast majority of crashes, 73.9%, resulted in no injuries and were classified as property-damage-only events. Injury-involved crashes, including serious, minor, and possible injuries, accounted for 25.9% of the total. While there were 68 distinct fatal crashes, these incidents led to a total of 73 fatalities, as a single crash can result in multiple deaths.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 68 fatal crash events resulted in 73 persons killed.

A substantial majority of crashes occurred under favorable environmental conditions. Specifically, 77.6% of incidents happened in clear weather, 76.3% on dry road surfaces, and 70.1% during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse conditions were less frequent, with 3,724 incidents reported during rain and 5,561 on wet roads.

Among all individuals involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, accounting for 13,044 people. The analysis of vehicle makes involved in collisions shows Honda as the most frequent, with 6,704 vehicles recorded. Toyota followed with 6,031 vehicles, and Ford with 4,994 vehicles.

The highest number of crashes, 5,382 incidents or 18.7% of the total, occurred in zones with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. However, zones with higher speed limits showed a greater percentage of fatal outcomes; 0.39% of crashes in 55 mph zones and 0.38% in 65 mph zones were fatal. This contrasts with the 0.35% fatal crash rate observed in 25 mph zones.

The city of Hartford accounted for the largest share of crashes in the county, with 6,988 incidents representing 24.3% of the total. The next most affected municipalities were West Hartford with 2,018 crashes and New Britain with 1,906 crashes. Manchester and Bristol also reported high volumes, with 1,894 and 1,730 crashes respectively.

Minor Arterial roads were the site of the most crashes, with 8,379 incidents recorded. Principal Arterial roads followed with 6,157 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways including Interstates (4,928) and Freeways/Expressways (1,583) accounted for 6,511 crashes, or 24.1% of collisions on classified roadways.

Crashes were more prevalent on state-maintained routes than on local roads. The combined total for Interstate, US, and State routes was 15,762 crashes, making up 57.0% of incidents on classified roadways. Local roads accounted for the remaining 43.0%, with 11,893 crashes.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the overwhelming majority occurred on public roads. A total of 887 crashes, representing 3.1% of the classified total, took place on private roads, such as in parking lots or on private drives. The remaining 27,460 crashes occurred on public thoroughfares.

The vast majority of crashes in Hartford County occurred in areas designated as Urban, totaling 26,608 incidents. Crashes in Rural areas were far less common, with 376 incidents recorded. This means that only 1.4% of crashes with a known designation happened in rural settings.

The most common location for a crash was not at an intersection, with 18,417 incidents occurring along road segments. However, a significant number of crashes, 10,328 or 35.9% of the total, did occur at or were related to an intersection. Four-way intersections were the most frequent type of junction for collisions, accounting for 5,872 crashes.

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most commonly struck object was a guardrail face, which was hit 657 times. Utility poles and light supports were the second most frequent object struck, with 550 incidents, followed by other fixed objects like walls or buildings at 508 incidents. Combined, striking a utility pole or a standing tree accounted for 774 crashes, or 20.3% of all fixed-object collisions.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 32,831 of the 55,120 vehicles in collisions. Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were the second most common with 11,519 vehicles. Medium to heavy trucks over 10,000 lbs were involved in 1,188 incidents, while motorcycles accounted for 237 vehicle involvements.

Analysis of vehicles involved in crashes shows that 62.6% (34,518 vehicles) were in areas with no traffic control device present. Conversely, 28.7% of vehicles (15,828) were involved in crashes at locations with a traffic control signal. An additional 3,924 vehicles were involved in crashes where a stop sign was the primary traffic control.

In crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists, pedestrians were the most frequent group, involved in 423 incidents. Motorcyclists were involved in 235 crashes, and bicyclists in 114. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 537 incidents, representing 69.6% of these specific crash types.

Among drivers for whom a contributing action was cited, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common factor, attributed to 8,899 drivers. 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most frequent action, noted for 5,023 drivers. 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' was the third most common contributing action, cited for 2,770 drivers.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several impairing conditions were noted. A total of 784 drivers were determined to be under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol, representing 1.6% of drivers with a known condition. Additionally, 340 drivers were identified as being asleep or fatigued, and 283 were noted as being in an emotional state.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was 'Straight Ahead,' which was the case for 24,933 vehicles, or 45.2% of the total. The second most frequent situation was a vehicle 'Stopped in Traffic,' accounting for 6,716 vehicles. 'Turning Left' was the third most common pre-crash maneuver, recorded for 4,324 vehicles.

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact in collisions, with 16,600 vehicles (30.1%) struck in the 'Sector 12 (North)' area. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South)', was the second most frequent impact point, recorded for 11,450 vehicles (20.8%). These two locations represent the initial impact points for over half of the vehicles in crashes.

For the 537 pedestrians whose actions were recorded, 'No Improper Action' was the most frequent finding, noted in 241 cases. Among improper actions cited, 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' and 'In Roadway Improperly' were the most common, each recorded 61 times. 'Dart/Dash' was the next most frequent action, contributing to 42 pedestrian-involved crashes.

The most prevalent type of collision was 'Front to rear,' accounting for 11,177 crashes, or 38.8% of all incidents. Angle collisions were the second most common manner of collision, with 5,881 incidents (20.4%). Sideswipes in the same direction of travel also occurred frequently, making up 14.4% of the total with 4,148 crashes.

Drivers were the largest group of individuals involved in crashes, with 53,279 people, or 72.1% of the total. Passengers constituted the second-largest group, with 16,741 individuals (22.7%). Vulnerable road users, including 455 pedestrians and 118 bicyclists, made up a smaller but significant portion of the people involved.

Of the 73,894 people involved in crashes, 81.9% (60,501 individuals) reported no injuries. A total of 10,441 people, or 14.1% of all persons involved, sustained some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. Fatal injuries were recorded for 73 individuals, accounting for approximately 0.1% of all people involved in collisions.

Among vehicle occupants where safety equipment use was recorded, the vast majority utilized some form of restraint. However, 1,461 occupants were noted as using no restraint at all, representing 2.3% of this group. The most common form of protection was a shoulder and lap belt, used by 51,951 individuals.

The most common type of crash involved two vehicles, with 22,122 such incidents accounting for 76.8% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most frequent, with 4,775 incidents making up 16.6% of all crashes. Multi-vehicle collisions involving three or more vehicles were less common, though two incidents involved as many as 10 vehicles.