111,169 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2015

Motorists comprised the largest group of individuals killed or seriously injured, with 219 fatalities and 34,250 injuries reported. Vulnerable road users also suffered significant harm; 46 pedestrians were killed and 1,214 were injured. Among cyclists, there were 3 fatalities and 441 injuries recorded during the year.

Crash frequency peaked on Fridays, which saw 18,767 incidents, and during the 3 p.m. hour, with 9,445 crashes. A significant majority of crashes, 78,561 in total, occurred during daylight hours. Crashes in dark conditions, both on lighted and unlighted roads, accounted for a combined 28,440 incidents.

The vast majority of crashes, 76.5% (85,094 incidents), resulted in no injuries. Injury-involved crashes, including serious, minor, and possible injuries, constituted 23.2% of the total. There were 253 fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 268 fatalities, indicating that some crashes involved more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 253 fatal crash events resulted in 268 persons killed.

The data shows that most crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. A total of 78.7% of crashes (87,434) happened in clear weather, while 76.8% (85,339) were on dry road surfaces. Similarly, 70.7% of all crashes (78,561) took place in daylight. Crashes during adverse weather included 9,808 in rain and 4,934 in snow.

Among all individuals involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 45,383 people. An analysis of vehicle makes involved in crashes shows Honda (23,905), Toyota (21,961), and Ford (20,996) as the most frequently recorded. These figures represent the raw counts of vehicles involved and do not reflect market share.

The highest number of crashes, 32,602 incidents, occurred in zones with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. Crashes in 65 mph zones, while fewer in number (5,716), had a higher likelihood of being fatal, with 0.60% of crashes in that speed zone resulting in a fatality. In contrast, in 25 mph zones, 0.13% of crashes were fatal.

Fairfield County experienced the highest number of crashes in the state, with 32,469 incidents, accounting for 29.2% of the total. New Haven County followed with 28,807 crashes (25.9%), and Hartford County had 26,223 crashes (23.6%). These three counties combined were the location for over 78% of all crashes statewide.

The top three municipalities for crash volume were Hartford, with 6,766 incidents, New Haven with 6,463, and Bridgeport with 5,535. These were followed by Stamford (5,372 crashes) and Waterbury (5,181 crashes). Together, these five cities accounted for 26.5% of all crashes reported in the state.

Analysis of roadway types shows that Minor Arterial roads had the highest number of crashes, with 4,287 incidents where this classification was recorded. Local roads accounted for 4,074 crashes, and Collector roads saw 3,738. Limited-access highways, including Interstates (3,053) and Freeways/Expressways (2,117), collectively accounted for 5,170 crashes.

Crashes were nearly evenly split between local and state-maintained roadways. Local roads were the site of 45,241 crashes. State-maintained routes, including State, Interstate, and US Routes, collectively accounted for 59,532 crashes.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was specified, the overwhelming majority occurred on public roads, totaling 102,991 incidents. A smaller but notable number of crashes, 4,379, took place on private roads, such as those in parking lots or private developments.

Among crashes with a defined geographic context, 17,133 occurred in urban areas. In contrast, 2,486 crashes were recorded in rural areas, representing 12.7% of the incidents where this classification was known.

The majority of crashes, 75,422 incidents, did not occur at an intersection. Among those that did, four-way intersections were the most common location, with 17,022 crashes, followed by T-intersections with 15,854 crashes. In total, 35,340 crashes occurred at some type of intersection.

Among crashes where the first harmful event was striking a fixed object, the most common objects hit were guardrail faces (2,822), other fixed objects like walls or buildings (2,576), and utility poles or light supports (2,290). Collisions with utility poles and trees (1,394) together accounted for 3,684 of these run-off-road incidents.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 133,551 vehicles. Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were the second most frequent with 35,158 vehicles, followed by pickup trucks with 13,495. Notably, medium or heavy trucks were involved in 5,466 crashes, and motorcycles were involved in 1,339.

A majority of crashes, 140,923 incidents, occurred at locations with no traffic control device present. For crashes at controlled locations, traffic signals were the most common, present at 48,876 crashes. Stop signs were the traffic control device at 14,059 crash locations.

In crashes involving vulnerable road users, pedestrians were the most frequent group, with 1,360 incidents. Motorcyclists were involved in 1,298 crashes, and bicyclists in 537. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 1,897 distinct crashes.

Excluding drivers with no contributing action, the most common error was 'Followed Too Closely,' cited for 32,451 drivers. The next most frequent actions were 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' (16,106 drivers) and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (10,686 drivers). These three actions represent the leading contributing factors attributed to drivers.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several other conditions were noted. A total of 3,032 drivers were identified as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Another 1,625 drivers were noted as being asleep or fatigued at the time of their crash.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was 'Straight Ahead,' recorded for 94,150 vehicles. The next most frequent actions were 'Stopped in Traffic' (22,845 vehicles) and 'Slowing' (15,516 vehicles), often preceding rear-end collisions.

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact, recorded in 60,189 instances, often designated as 'Sector 12 (North)'. The second most frequent impact point was the rear of the vehicle, noted as 'Sector 6 (South)' in 43,073 cases.

Among pedestrians involved in crashes where an action was recorded, 859 were determined to have taken 'No Improper Action'. However, for those with contributing actions, 'In Roadway Improperly' was cited in 176 cases, and 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' was noted for 171 pedestrians.

Front-to-rear collisions were the most prevalent crash type, accounting for 41,473 incidents, or 37.3% of all crashes with a known manner of collision. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 20,159 incidents, representing 18.1% of the total.

Of the 277,755 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, totaling 197,078 people. Passengers constituted the next largest group with 66,943 individuals. The data also recorded 1,464 pedestrians and 546 bicyclists involved in these incidents.

Out of 277,755 people involved in crashes, 231,505 (83.4%) sustained no injuries. A total of 35,918 individuals suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible (22,114) to minor (12,277) and serious (1,527). There were 268 individuals who sustained fatal injuries.

Shoulder and lap belts were the most commonly used form of safety equipment, recorded for 195,549 vehicle occupants. A total of 5,858 occupants were recorded as using no restraint system at all at the time of the crash.

The most common type of crash involved two vehicles, accounting for 83,235 incidents. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most frequent, with 21,239 incidents, representing 19.1% of all crashes. The data also includes multi-vehicle pile-ups, with one crash involving as many as 10 vehicles.