3,836 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2015

In 2015, motorists accounted for the vast majority of traffic casualties, with 17 killed and 1,022 injured. Among vulnerable road users, 2 pedestrians were killed and 37 were injured. Additionally, 9 cyclists were injured in crashes, with no fatalities reported for this group.

Crash frequency in Middlesex County peaked on Fridays, with 623 incidents recorded in 2015. The most common time for crashes was the 3 p.m. hour with 340 events, part of a broader afternoon peak from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. A total of 2,753 crashes, or 71.8% of all incidents, occurred during daylight hours.

Of the 3,836 crashes in 2015, 79% (3,032) resulted in no injuries, while 20.6% (786) involved at least one reported injury. There were 18 fatal crashes recorded, which resulted in a total of 19 fatalities, indicating that at least one crash involved multiple deaths.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 18 fatal crash events resulted in 19 persons killed.

The majority of crashes in 2015 occurred in favorable conditions. Specifically, 71.8% of crashes happened in daylight (2,753), 77.1% in clear weather (2,958), and 75.2% on dry road surfaces (2,884). Crashes in adverse weather included 282 incidents in rain and 264 in snow.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the largest representations from the 26-34 age group (1,357 individuals) and the 45-54 age group (1,335 individuals). Among the 6,888 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes recorded were Toyota (801), Ford (730), Honda (690), Chevrolet (620), and Nissan (596).

The most crashes occurred in 25 mph zones, with 666 incidents, accounting for 17.4% of all crashes. Zones with a 65 mph speed limit saw the next highest frequency with 644 crashes. While lower speed zones had more crashes, the percentage of those crashes that were fatal was higher in some higher speed zones; 1.027% of crashes in 45 mph zones and 0.932% of crashes in 65 mph zones were fatal.

The geographic distribution of crashes was concentrated in a few key towns. Middletown alone accounted for 1,623 crashes, representing 42.3% of the county's total. Cromwell followed with 587 crashes (15.3%), and Clinton had the third-highest volume with 254 crashes (6.6%).

Among crashes where the road class was recorded, Collector and Freeway/Expressway roads each saw the highest number of incidents, with 206 crashes apiece. Limited-access highways, combining Interstates (130 crashes) and Freeways/Expressways (206 crashes), accounted for 336 of these incidents. Local roads were the site of 184 crashes.

Crashes were most prevalent on state-maintained routes, which include State (2,062 crashes), Interstate (438 crashes), and US Routes (156 crashes). Combined, these routes under state jurisdiction accounted for 2,656 crashes. Local roads were the site of 1,004 crashes.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority (3,629) occurred on public roads. A total of 107 crashes, or approximately 2.9% of the recorded total, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives.

Based on crashes with a specified location type, 828 occurred in urban areas and 132 in rural areas. This indicates that 13.75% of these documented crashes took place in a rural setting.

The majority of crashes, 2,523 incidents, did not occur at an intersection. Of the crashes that did happen at a junction, T-intersections were the most common location with 623 crashes, followed by four-way intersections with 520 crashes. In total, approximately 34% of all crashes occurred at an intersection.

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most commonly struck objects were guardrail faces (153 incidents), utility poles or light supports (115 incidents), and trees (101 incidents). Combined, collisions with poles and trees accounted for 216 of these run-off-road events.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 4,213 of the 6,888 vehicles recorded, followed by Sport Utility Vehicles (1,198) and Pick Up trucks (590). The data also includes involvement from 174 medium or heavy trucks, 64 motorcycles, and 44 buses of various types.

Analysis of traffic controls present at crash locations shows that a majority of vehicles (4,424) were involved in crashes where no control device was present. For crashes at controlled locations, 1,541 vehicles were involved at intersections with a traffic signal, while 708 were at locations with a stop sign.

The data identifies 119 crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Of these, motorcyclists were the largest group with 62 incidents. Combined, pedestrians (44 crashes) and bicyclists (13 crashes) accounted for 57 incidents, representing nearly 48% of these specific crash types.

Among driver actions cited as contributing factors, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common, attributed to 989 drivers and accounting for 14.9% of all drivers. Other leading actions included 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' with 573 instances and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' with 364 instances.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several adverse conditions were noted. A total of 137 drivers were reported as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. An additional 80 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued, and 32 were noted as being emotional.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was 'Straight Ahead,' which was recorded for 3,321 vehicles, or 48.2% of the total. The next most frequent actions were 'Stopped in Traffic' with 584 vehicles and 'Turning Left' with 499 vehicles.

The most frequent point of impact was the front of the vehicle, described as 'Sector 12 (North),' which was recorded for 2,126 vehicles, representing 30.9% of impacts. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South),' was the second most common impact point, noted in 1,445 cases or 21% of the total.

For the 48 pedestrians involved in crashes, the most common recorded action was 'No Improper Action,' noted in 23 cases. Among actions deemed improper, 'Dart/Dash' was the most frequent with 9 instances, followed by 'Failure to Obey Traffic Signs, Signals, or Officer' with 6 instances.

The most prevalent crash type was a 'Front to rear' collision, which accounted for 1,391 incidents, or 36.3% of all crashes. Angle collisions were the second most common type with 584 incidents (15.2%), followed by 'Sideswipe, same direction' crashes with 375 incidents (9.8%).

A total of 9,114 individuals were involved in crashes, with drivers being the largest group at 6,634 people (72.8%). Passengers constituted the next largest group with 2,104 individuals (23.1%). The data also includes 48 pedestrians and 15 bicyclists.

Out of 9,114 people involved in crashes, 19 individuals sustained fatal injuries (0.21%). A total of 1,068 people, or 11.7% of all individuals, suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. The vast majority of people involved, 7,762 individuals, were reported to have no injuries.

The data on safety equipment usage shows that 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' was the most common status, reported for 6,905 occupants. However, it was noted that 146 motor vehicle occupants used no restraint system at the time of their crash. An additional 144 individuals were secured in a forward-facing child restraint system.

The majority of crashes involved two vehicles, with 2,629 such incidents recorded, accounting for 68.5% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common scenario, with 1,019 incidents (26.6%). Crashes involving three or more vehicles were less frequent, with 188 occurrences.