9,154 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
JUNE 2015

Motorists comprised the largest group of individuals killed or injured, with 19 fatalities and 3,059 injuries. Two pedestrians were killed and 86 were injured in crashes during this period. While no cyclists were killed, 61 sustained injuries.

Crash frequency peaked on Tuesday, which saw 1,560 incidents, and during the 5 p.m. hour, with 847 crashes. A significant majority of collisions, 7,407 or approximately 81%, occurred during daylight hours. The evening commute period between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. consistently showed the highest crash volumes.

Of the 9,154 total crashes, 6,850 (74.8%) resulted in no injuries, being classified as property damage only. The remaining incidents involved some level of injury, including 1,258 possible injuries, 894 minor injuries, and 131 serious injuries. There were 21 fatal crashes recorded, which corresponded to 21 total fatalities.

The data indicates that most crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Approximately 79.4% of crashes (7,265) happened in clear weather, 81.8% (7,492) on dry road surfaces, and 80.9% (7,407) in daylight. Adverse conditions were less frequent, with 1,297 crashes occurring during rain and 1,576 on wet roads.

Among the 23,281 people involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented with 3,761 individuals, followed by the 45-54 age group with 3,314. An analysis of the 17,399 vehicles involved shows that the most frequent makes were Honda (1,904), Toyota (1,768), and Ford (1,753). These were followed by Nissan (1,416) and Chevrolet (1,373).

The 25 mph speed zone saw the highest number of crashes, with 2,491 incidents, accounting for 27.2% of the total. While crash volume was highest in lower speed zones, the percentage of crashes within a zone that proved fatal varied. For instance, 0.71% of crashes in 30 mph zones were fatal, and 0.58% in 45 mph zones were fatal, compared to 0.16% in 25 mph zones.

Fairfield County experienced the highest number of crashes with 2,778, representing 30.4% of the statewide total. New Haven County followed with 2,366 crashes (25.9%), and Hartford County had 2,156 crashes (23.6%). Together, these three counties accounted for nearly 80% of all crashes in the state.

The highest concentration of crashes occurred in Connecticut's largest cities. Hartford led with 592 crashes (6.5% of the state total), followed by New Haven with 518 (5.7%) and Bridgeport with 438 (4.8%). Stamford (437) and Waterbury (421) also ranked in the top five for crash volume.

Among crashes with a recorded road class, Local roads accounted for the most incidents (329), followed closely by Collector roads (316) and Minor Arterials (306). Limited-access highways, including Interstates and Freeways/Expressways, collectively accounted for 409 crashes in this subset.

Of the 8,688 crashes where the route system was identified, 5,024 (57.8%) occurred on state-maintained routes, including State, Interstate, and US Routes. The remaining 3,664 crashes (42.2%) took place on local roads, which fall under municipal jurisdiction.

Analysis of 8,890 crashes with known trafficway ownership shows the vast majority (8,533) occurred on public roads. A smaller but distinct set of 357 crashes, or 4.0% of this group, happened on private property such as parking lots or private driveways.

From a subset of 1,551 crashes with a rural or urban designation, 1,349 (87.0%) occurred in urban areas. The remaining 202 crashes, representing 13.0% of this group, took place in areas classified as rural.

The majority of crashes, 6,150 out of 9,113 with a specified location, did not occur at an intersection. Of the crashes that did happen at a junction, four-way intersections were the most common site with 1,441 incidents, followed by T-intersections with 1,339. In total, 32.5% of these crashes occurred at some form of intersection.

Among incidents where the first harmful event was a collision with a fixed object, the most commonly struck objects were categorized as 'Other Fixed Object' (235), followed by guardrail faces (227) and utility poles or light supports (177). Collisions with utility poles and trees combined accounted for 280 of these run-off-road crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 11,037 of the 17,114 vehicles with a specified body type. Sport Utility Vehicles (2,874) and Pickups (1,097) were the next most frequent. Notably, 487 medium or heavy trucks and 165 motorcycles were also involved in collisions.

Based on per-vehicle data, most vehicles (11,643) were involved in crashes at locations with no traffic control device. At locations with controls, traffic signals were the most common, present for 4,108 vehicles involved in crashes. Stop signs were the next most frequent control type, noted for 1,199 vehicles.

In crashes involving non-motorists or motorcyclists, motorcyclists were the largest group with 163 incidents. There were 98 crashes involving pedestrians and 73 involving bicyclists. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 171 incidents, representing 51.2% of this vulnerable user and motorcyclist crash group.

Among drivers for whom a contributing action was cited, following too closely was the most common factor, attributed to 2,862 drivers (17.5% of all drivers). Failing to keep in the proper lane was the second most frequent action, cited for 1,314 drivers (8.1%), followed by failure to yield the right-of-way for 901 drivers (5.5%).

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' 269 drivers were noted as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. An additional 137 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued. Emotional state (93 drivers) and physical impairment (50 drivers) were other cited conditions.

Prior to impact, the most common vehicle action was driving straight ahead, reported for 7,765 vehicles (44.6% of the total). The next most frequent pre-crash movements were being stopped in traffic (1,962 vehicles) and slowing (1,345 vehicles).

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact, recorded as 'Sector 12 (North)' for 5,044 vehicles, or 29.0% of those with impact data. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South),' was the second most frequent impact point, accounting for 3,695 vehicles (21.2%).

Among non-motorists with a recorded action, 76 were determined to have taken 'No Improper Action.' For those with cited improper actions, the most frequent were 'Failure to Obey Traffic Signs, Signals, or Officer' (16 individuals), 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' (15), and 'Dart/Dash' into the roadway (13).

Among crashes with a specified collision type, front-to-rear collisions were the most prevalent, accounting for 3,543 incidents or 48.8% of this group. Angle collisions were the second most common type with 1,631 crashes (22.4%), followed by sideswipes in the same direction with 1,197 crashes (16.5%).

Of the 23,281 individuals involved in crashes, the majority (16,314 or 70.1%) were drivers. Passengers constituted the next largest group with 5,731 individuals (24.6%). A smaller but significant number of non-motorists were involved, including 106 pedestrians and 73 bicyclists.

Out of 22,428 individuals with a recorded injury status, 3,208 people sustained some level of injury, representing 14.3% of the total. This included 1,924 with possible injuries, 1,132 with minor injuries, and 152 with serious injuries. A total of 21 individuals, or 0.09% of this group, suffered fatal injuries.

Shoulder and lap belts were the most commonly used form of safety equipment, reported for 16,409 occupants. However, for 437 motor vehicle occupants, no restraint was used at the time of the crash, representing 2.2% of individuals with recorded safety equipment data.

The vast majority of crashes (6,893 or 75.3%) involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common, accounting for 1,677 incidents (18.3%). The data also includes several multi-vehicle pile-ups, with one crash involving eight vehicles and another involving nine.