6,693 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2015

Motor vehicle occupants represented the vast majority of casualties, with 25 motorists killed and 1,890 injured in 2015. Among vulnerable road users, there were 2 pedestrian fatalities and 48 pedestrians injured. No cyclists were killed during this period, but 23 sustained injuries in crashes.

Crash occurrences in New London County show distinct temporal patterns, with the most frequent day for crashes being Friday with 1,096 incidents. The afternoon commute period saw the highest concentration of collisions, peaking during the 4 PM hour with 587 crashes. Overall, 69.2% of all crashes (4,635 incidents) occurred during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes in 2015 did not result in physical harm, with 78.5% (5,255 incidents) classified as involving no injury. Injury-related crashes, encompassing serious, minor, and possible injuries, accounted for 21.2% of incidents. The data recorded 25 fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 27 fatalities, indicating some incidents involved more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 25 fatal crash events resulted in 27 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 75.6% of incidents (5,057) happening in clear weather and 72.8% (4,872) on dry road surfaces. Correspondingly, 69.2% of all crashes (4,635) occurred during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse weather included 593 in rain and 490 in snow, while 913 incidents occurred on wet roads.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was most frequently represented with 2,548 individuals, followed by the 45-54 age group with 2,238 individuals. Among the 11,824 vehicles involved, Ford was the most common make with 1,487 vehicles. After consolidating variations in make names, Toyota-branded vehicles were involved in 1,265 crashes, and Honda vehicles were involved in 1,122 crashes.

Roadways with a posted speed limit of 25 mph saw the highest number of crashes, accounting for 2,258 incidents or 33.7% of the total. While lower speed zones had more crashes, the percentage of those crashes that were fatal increased in higher speed zones. For instance, 0.266% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, compared to 0.665% in 35 mph zones and 0.686% in 65 mph zones.

The geographic distribution of crashes across New London County was concentrated in its larger municipalities. The city of Norwich recorded the highest volume with 1,297 crashes, representing 19.4% of the county's total. Following Norwich were Groton with 904 crashes (13.5%) and the city of New London with 694 crashes (10.4%).

Among crashes where the roadway's functional class was recorded, incidents were most frequent on Interstates (460 crashes) and Local roads (457 crashes). Limited-access highways, combining Interstates and Freeways/Expressways, accounted for 612 crashes. Collector roads and Minor Arterials also saw significant crash volumes, with 426 and 250 incidents, respectively.

Analysis of the route system indicates that a majority of crashes occurred on roads maintained by the state. State routes accounted for 2,850 crashes, followed by local roads (1,985), Interstates (1,131), and US Routes (437). Combined, state-maintained roadways (State, Interstate, and US Routes) were the location for 69.0% of the crashes where route system was identified.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority occurred on public roads, totaling 6,283 incidents. A smaller but notable number of crashes, 195 incidents or 3.0% of the recorded total, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives. These incidents fall under a distinct category of traffic safety.

Based on crashes with a specified rural or urban designation, 19.6% (366 incidents) occurred in rural areas. The remaining 80.4% (1,504 incidents) took place in urban settings. This distinction is significant as crash dynamics and severity often differ between these environments.

The majority of crashes, 4,809 incidents, occurred at locations not classified as intersections. Of the crashes that did happen at junctions, T-intersections were the most common site with 907 crashes, followed by four-way intersections with 791. In total, 28.1% of all crashes with a recorded location type occurred at an intersection.

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most frequently struck object was a guardrail face, involved in 363 incidents. This was followed by other fixed objects like walls or buildings (234 crashes) and utility or light poles (225 crashes). Collisions with poles and trees combined accounted for 354 incidents, representing 21.7% of all recorded fixed-object crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 7,382 vehicles, or 62.4% of the total. Sport utility vehicles (1,712) and pickup trucks (1,155) were the next most frequent. Notably, medium or heavy trucks were involved in 326 incidents (2.8%), while motorcycles were involved in 134 crashes (1.1%).

Analysis of traffic controls at crash locations indicates that 69.2% of involved vehicles (8,178) were in areas with no traffic control device. Crashes at locations with traffic signals accounted for 23.0% of vehicle involvements (2,719). Stop signs were present for 4.6% of vehicle involvements, representing 547 incidents.

In crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists, motorcyclists were the most frequently involved group with 128 incidents. Pedestrians were involved in 59 crashes and bicyclists in 29. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 88 incidents, representing 40.7% of crashes in this specific group.

Among contributing actions cited for drivers, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common, attributed to 1,779 drivers, or 16.1% of all drivers with an action recorded. The second most frequent action was 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane,' noted for 1,047 drivers (9.4%). 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' was the third most common contributing factor, cited for 597 drivers.

Beyond drivers noted as 'Apparently Normal,' the most frequently cited condition was being 'Under the Influence of Medications/Drugs/Alcohol,' which was recorded for 300 drivers (2.7% of total drivers). Driver fatigue was also a notable factor, with 160 drivers identified as 'Asleep or Fatigued.' Other recorded conditions included emotional distress (55 drivers) and illness (43 drivers).

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was 'Straight Ahead,' accounting for 48.1% of vehicle movements (5,689 incidents). A significant number of vehicles were 'Stopped in Traffic' (981 vehicles) or 'Turning Left' (910 vehicles) immediately prior to a collision. These actions represent the most common scenarios leading up to a crash.

The front of the vehicle, designated as Sector 12, was the most common point of impact, recorded in 3,372 instances or 28.5% of all vehicle impacts. The rear of the vehicle (Sector 6) was the second most frequent impact point, involved in 2,168 cases (18.3%). These two areas represent the primary points of contact in vehicle collisions.

For crashes involving pedestrians where an action was recorded, 40 individuals (41.2%) were determined to have taken 'No Improper Action'. Among improper actions cited, 'In Roadway Improperly' was the most frequent with 11 instances, followed by 'Dart/Dash' into the road with 8 instances. Failure to obey traffic signals was also noted in 6 cases.

The most prevalent type of collision was 'Front to rear,' which accounted for 2,188 incidents, or 32.7% of all crashes with a recorded collision manner. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 1,093 incidents (16.3%). Sideswipes in the same direction of travel constituted another 10.5% of the total.

A total of 16,001 individuals were involved in crashes, with drivers being the most numerous group at 11,083 people, or 69.3% of the total. Passengers constituted the second-largest group, with 4,080 individuals (25.5%). Vulnerable road users were also involved, including 65 pedestrians and 30 bicyclists.

Out of all 16,001 people involved in crashes, 1,962 individuals sustained some level of injury, representing 12.3% of the total. A smaller fraction, 27 people (0.17%), suffered fatal injuries. The vast majority of individuals, 13,411 people or 83.8%, were recorded as having no injuries.

Among 14,069 vehicle occupants with safety equipment usage recorded, 89.0% (12,517 individuals) were using both a shoulder and lap belt. However, 364 occupants, or 2.6% of the total, were recorded as using no restraint system at all. Child restraint systems were used by 445 children, including forward-facing, rear-facing, and booster seats.

The most common incident involved two vehicles, accounting for 65.6% of all crashes (4,389 incidents). Single-vehicle crashes were the next most frequent category, with 1,981 incidents making up 29.6% of the total. While less common, several multi-vehicle pile-ups were recorded, including one crash involving 9 vehicles and another involving 8.