112,611 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2019

Motor vehicle occupants constituted the largest group of casualties, with 197 motorists killed and 35,517 injured. Vulnerable road users also faced significant risk, with 56 pedestrians killed and 1,382 injured. Additionally, 3 cyclists were killed and 413 were injured in traffic crashes.

Crash patterns show distinct peaks in the afternoon and on the end of the work week. The most crashes occurred on Fridays (18,856) and during the 5 p.m. hour (9,852), aligning with the evening commute. A majority of crashes, 70.1% (78,949), happened during daylight hours.

The vast majority of crashes, 75.7% (85,245), resulted in no injuries and were property-damage-only. Approximately 24.1% of crashes involved a possible, minor, or serious injury. A total of 238 crashes were fatal, which is distinct from the total of 256 persons killed in those incidents.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 238 fatal crash events resulted in 256 persons killed.

The majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Data shows that 78.9% of crashes (88,865) happened in clear weather, 78.5% (88,366) on dry road surfaces, and 70.1% (78,949) in daylight. For comparison, 12,167 crashes occurred during rain and 17,855 on wet roads.

Among the 278,517 people involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 47,913 individuals. The vehicle makes most frequently involved in collisions were Honda (22,512), Toyota (21,069), and Ford (19,434). These figures represent crash involvement and do not imply fault or reflect vehicle market share.

The 25 mph speed zone saw the highest number of crashes, with 34,785 incidents, accounting for 30.9% of the total. While lower speed zones had more crashes, the percentage of crashes that proved fatal tended to increase with the posted speed limit. For example, 0.13% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, whereas that figure rises to 0.80% in 45 mph zones and 0.42% in 65 mph zones.

Crash distribution was heavily concentrated in three counties, which together accounted for over 82% of all incidents in the state. Fairfield County had the most crashes with 33,043, followed by New Haven County with 31,594 and Hartford County with 28,710.

The state's most populous cities saw the highest number of traffic incidents. New Haven recorded the most crashes with 7,556, followed closely by Hartford with 7,127. Bridgeport ranked third with 6,324 crashes.

Minor Arterial roads experienced the highest number of crashes, with 30,206 incidents recorded. Limited-access highways, including Interstates (15,342) and Freeways/Expressways (8,685), collectively accounted for 24,027 crashes, or 21.3% of the statewide total.

Of the crashes with a recorded route system, 62,323 (58.2%) occurred on state-maintained roadways, including Interstate, US, and State routes. The remaining 44,709 crashes (41.8%) took place on local roads under municipal jurisdiction.

Among crashes where roadway ownership was recorded, the overwhelming majority (106,064) occurred on public roads. A total of 4,525 crashes, representing 4.1% of this subset, took place on private property such as parking lots, shopping centers, or private driveways.

The data indicates a strong urban concentration of traffic crashes. Of the incidents where a classification was available, 100,889 (95.6%) occurred in urban areas. Rural areas accounted for the remaining 4,590 crashes (4.4%).

A majority of crashes, 75,514, occurred at locations not at an intersection. However, a significant number of incidents, 36,875, happened at junctions. Four-way intersections were the most common crash site among junctions with 18,413 incidents, followed by T-intersections with 16,036.

In single-vehicle, run-off-road crashes, the most commonly struck fixed objects were guardrail faces (2,723 times), walls or buildings (2,636 times), and utility poles (2,211 times). Collisions with utility poles and trees combined accounted for 3,556 incidents.

Passenger cars were the most prevalent vehicle type involved in crashes, with 122,790 recorded. Sport Utility Vehicles were the second most common, with 48,435 involved. The data also includes notable involvement from medium/heavy trucks (5,448), motorcycles (1,160), and buses (2,017).

Among the 213,091 vehicles with traffic control information, 66.2% (141,011) were in locations with no control device, such as mid-block sections of road. For vehicles at controlled locations, 24.2% (51,545) were at traffic signals and 7.7% (16,368) were at stop signs.

A total of 3,190 crashes involved either a vulnerable road user or a motorcyclist. Pedestrians were involved in 1,565 of these crashes and bicyclists in 498, together making up 64.7% of this crash subset. Motorcyclists were involved in the remaining 1,127 incidents.

The most frequently cited driver action contributing to a crash was 'Followed Too Closely,' which was noted for 32,927 drivers. 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' (20,980 drivers) and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (11,640 drivers) were the next most common contributing actions.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal', several adverse conditions were documented. A total of 2,941 drivers were noted as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Another 1,610 drivers were identified as being asleep or fatigued at the time of the crash.

The most common action immediately preceding a crash was driving straight ahead, which was the case for 96,103 vehicles. Being stopped in traffic (23,631 vehicles) and turning left (16,125 vehicles) were the next most frequent pre-crash movements.

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of initial impact, recorded in 60,195 instances (29.5%). The rear of the vehicle was the second most frequent impact point, occurring in 41,737 cases (20.5%), which aligns with the high prevalence of front-to-rear collisions.

Among pedestrians for whom a contributing action was noted, 'In Roadway Improperly' was the most common factor, cited in 235 cases. 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' (192 cases) and 'Dart/Dash' into the roadway (169 cases) were other frequently recorded pedestrian actions.

Front-to-rear collisions were the most frequent type of crash, accounting for 41,085 incidents or 36.5% of the total. Angle collisions were the second most common type at 22,216 (19.7%), followed by same-direction sideswipes with 15,593 incidents (13.8%).

Of the 278,517 individuals involved in crashes, 72.6% were drivers (202,218) and 22.7% were passengers (63,201). The data also accounted for 1,686 pedestrians and 503 bicyclists involved in traffic incidents.

Among all 278,517 people involved in crashes, 13.4% (37,323) sustained an injury of some severity, and 0.09% (256) were fatally injured. The majority of individuals, 231,620 people, were not injured.

Safety restraint use was high among occupants for whom data was recorded, with 190,002 individuals using both a shoulder and lap belt. However, 4,648 occupants, or approximately 2.1% of those with specified restraint use, were recorded as using no safety equipment.