4,216 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2018

Motor vehicle occupants represented the largest group of individuals killed or injured, with 24 fatalities and 1,270 injuries. In crashes involving vulnerable road users, one pedestrian was killed and 24 were injured. No cyclists were killed, but seven sustained injuries.

Crashes in Litchfield County occurred most frequently on Fridays, which saw 758 incidents. The single busiest hour for crashes was the 5 p.m. hour with 354 events. Overall, a majority of collisions, 2,865 in total, happened during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes, 76.6% (3,231 incidents), resulted in no injuries. The remaining collisions involved possible, minor, or serious injuries. There were 23 fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 25 fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 23 fatal crash events resulted in 25 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 71.3% (3,005) happening in clear weather and 69.7% (2,939) on dry road surfaces. Similarly, 67.9% of all crashes (2,865) took place during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse conditions were less frequent, with 472 occurring during rain and 776 on wet roads.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 1,404 individuals, followed by the 45-54 age group with 1,342. Among vehicles involved, the most frequent makes recorded were Ford (812 vehicles), Chevrolet (512 vehicles), and Honda (472 vehicles).

The most crashes, 1,001 incidents or 23.7% of the total, occurred in zones with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. While lower speed zones had more crashes, the percentage of those crashes resulting in a fatality generally increased with higher speed limits. For instance, 0.2% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, compared to 2.174% in 50 mph zones and 6.667% in 55 mph zones.

The highest concentration of crashes within Litchfield County occurred in the city of Torrington, which accounted for 980 incidents, or 23.2% of the county's total. New Milford followed with 638 crashes (15.1%), and Watertown had the third-highest volume with 473 crashes (11.2%).

Crashes occurred most frequently on Principal Arterial roadways, which saw 1,504 incidents. This was followed by Minor Arterial roads (798 crashes) and Collector roads (721 crashes). Limited-access highways, classified as Freeway/Expressway, accounted for 336 crashes.

Of the crashes where the route system was identified, 1,545 occurred on State routes and 1,253 on US Routes. Combined, these state-maintained roadways accounted for 2,798 crashes. Local roads were the location for 1,265 crashes.

The vast majority of crashes, 3,999 incidents, occurred on public roads. A smaller number, 122 crashes, were recorded on private property such as parking lots or private drives, representing approximately 3.0% of crashes where ownership was specified.

Crashes were more prevalent in urban areas, which accounted for 2,650 incidents. Rural areas saw 1,337 crashes, representing 33.5% of the total where the designation was recorded.

The majority of collisions, 3,048 incidents, occurred at locations not classified as intersections. Among crashes at junctions, T-intersections were the most common site with 621 crashes, followed by four-way intersections with 443. In total, 1,150 crashes occurred at an intersection.

Among crashes involving a vehicle striking a fixed object, the most commonly hit object was a guardrail face, with 246 incidents. This was followed by utility poles or light supports (175 incidents) and trees (149 incidents). Combined, collisions with poles and trees accounted for 324 crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 3,967 vehicles, followed by sport utility vehicles (1,528) and pickup trucks (795). Medium or heavy trucks were involved in 156 incidents, while motorcycles were involved in 75.

The majority of vehicles involved in crashes were at locations with no traffic control device, accounting for 5,209 vehicles. Locations with traffic signals were the site of crashes involving 1,212 vehicles, while stop signs were present for 521 vehicles.

Among crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists, motorcyclists were the largest group with 72 incidents. There were 28 crashes involving pedestrians and 10 involving bicyclists. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 38 crashes.

The most frequently cited driver action contributing to a crash was 'Followed Too Closely,' which was recorded for 919 drivers. 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most common action with 720 instances, followed by 'Ran Off Roadway' with 396.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several contributing conditions were noted. Driving under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol was cited for 198 drivers. An additional 115 drivers were noted as being asleep or fatigued.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was 'Straight Ahead,' accounting for 3,281 vehicles. The next most frequent situations involved vehicles that were 'Stopped in Traffic' (679 vehicles) or 'Negotiating a Curve' (672 vehicles).

The front of the vehicle, designated as 'Sector 12 (North) in the 12-point Clock Diagram,' was the most frequent point of impact, recorded in 2,028 instances. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South),' was the second most common impact point, with 1,196 occurrences.

Among the 37 instances where a pedestrian's action was recorded, 14 were noted as having 'No Improper Action.' The most cited improper actions included 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' with 4 occurrences, and both 'In Roadway Improperly' and 'Failure to Obey Traffic Signs' with 3 occurrences each.

The most common type of collision was 'Front to rear,' which accounted for 1,178 crashes, or 27.9% of incidents with a specified manner. Angle collisions were the second most frequent type, with 678 crashes, representing 16.1% of the total.

Of the 9,527 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, accounting for 6,808 people or 71.5% of the total. Passengers made up the next largest group with 2,074 individuals (21.8%). The data also includes 29 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists.

Across all 9,527 people involved in crashes, 25 individuals sustained fatal injuries, representing 0.26% of the total. A further 1,302 people, or 13.7%, sustained injuries classified as serious, minor, or possible. The remaining 7,862 individuals were recorded as having no injuries.

Among 7,815 vehicle occupants with a recorded safety equipment status, 6,886 were using a shoulder and lap belt. A total of 497 occupants, or 6.4% of this group, were recorded as using no restraint system at the time of the crash.

The most common incidents were two-vehicle collisions, accounting for 2,491 crashes. Single-vehicle crashes were also frequent, with 1,542 incidents representing 36.6% of the total. There were 161 crashes involving three vehicles and 21 crashes involving four vehicles.