9,553 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
MARCH 2015

Motorists comprised the largest group of individuals killed or seriously injured, with 12 fatalities and 2,392 injuries. Vulnerable road users also suffered significant harm; 3 pedestrians were killed and 82 were injured. Additionally, 9 cyclists were injured, though none fatally, during this period.

Crash frequencies peaked on Friday, which saw 1,742 incidents, more than any other day of the week. The single busiest hour for crashes was between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., with 818 events, coinciding with the evening commute. Overall, a majority of collisions, 6,841 or 71.6%, occurred during daylight hours.

The vast majority of crashes, 81.1% (7,746 incidents), resulted in no injuries and were property-damage-only. Crashes involving some level of injury accounted for 18.8% of the total. There were 14 distinct fatal crashes recorded, which resulted in a total of 15 fatalities, as a single crash can involve more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 14 fatal crash events resulted in 15 persons killed.

A significant portion of crashes occurred in seemingly ideal conditions, with 61.4% (5,869) happening in clear weather and 71.6% (6,841) during daylight. Similarly, 54.0% of crashes (5,158) were on dry road surfaces. However, adverse conditions were also a factor, with 1,943 crashes occurring in snow and 1,576 on wet roads.

The age group most frequently involved in crashes was 26-34, accounting for 3,807 of the 22,937 people involved. An analysis of vehicle makes involved in crashes shows Honda (1,932 vehicles), Ford (1,858), and Toyota (1,823) as the most common. These figures represent the raw counts of vehicles involved and do not reflect market share.

The 25 mph speed zone saw the highest number of crashes, with 2,788 incidents, accounting for 29.2% of the total. While lower speed zones had more crashes, the percentage of crashes within a zone that were fatal tended to increase with speed. For instance, 0.535% of crashes in the 45 mph zone were fatal, the highest rate among zones with fatalities, compared to 0.036% in the 25 mph zone.

Crash distribution was heavily concentrated in three of Connecticut's eight counties. Fairfield County had the highest volume with 2,953 crashes (30.9% of the state total), followed closely by New Haven County with 2,782 crashes (29.1%). Hartford County ranked third with 1,934 crashes (20.2%), with these three counties together accounting for over 80% of all incidents.

At the municipal level, New Haven recorded the most crashes in the state with 800 incidents, representing 8.4% of the statewide total. Bridgeport followed with 533 crashes (5.6% of total), and Stamford had the third-highest volume with 465 crashes (4.9%). Waterbury and Danbury rounded out the top five with 436 and 324 crashes, respectively.

Among crashes where the roadway functional class was identified, minor arterials accounted for the largest share with 446 incidents. Collector roads followed with 404 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways like Interstates (315) and Freeways/Expressways (214) were the location for 26.5% of these classified crashes.

Of the 8,943 crashes with a specified route system, a majority occurred on state-maintained roadways. State routes accounted for 2,938 crashes, Interstates for 1,167, and US Routes for 759, making up a combined 54.4% of the total. The remaining 45.6% of crashes occurred on local roads.

Among crashes where ownership was recorded, the vast majority, 8,777 incidents, occurred on public roads. A smaller but notable number of crashes, 381 or 4.2% of the total, took place on private property such as parking lots or private driveways.

Of the 2,000 crashes where the locality type was specified, 1,745 occurred in urban areas. The remaining 255 crashes, or 12.8% of this subset, took place in rural settings. Crashes in rural areas are often associated with different characteristics, such as higher speeds.

The data indicates that most crashes did not happen at an intersection, with 6,601 incidents (69.3%) occurring at non-junction locations. However, a significant number of crashes, totaling 2,920 or 30.7%, did occur at or near an intersection. The most common junction types for crashes were four-way intersections (1,372) and T-intersections (1,351).

In crashes where the first harmful event was striking a fixed object, the most commonly hit object was a guardrail face, which was struck 290 times. Utility poles and light supports were the second-most common, hit in 230 crashes, followed by trees, which were struck 122 times. Combined, collisions with poles and trees accounted for 352 of these run-off-road incidents.

Passenger cars were the most prevalent vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 11,134 of the 17,557 vehicles involved (63.4%). Sport utility vehicles were the next most common, with 2,986 involved (17.0%). Notably, medium and heavy trucks were involved in 480 crashes (2.7%), while motorcycles were involved in 8 crashes.

A majority of crashes occurred at locations with no traffic control device present, accounting for 12,019 incidents. Locations with traffic signals were the site of 3,789 crashes, while 1,188 crashes occurred at intersections controlled by a stop sign. This indicates that 69.6% of crashes with known traffic control happened at uncontrolled locations.

During this period, there were 112 crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Pedestrians were involved in 92 of these incidents, and bicyclists were involved in 12. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 104 crashes, representing 92.9% of these specific incident types.

Among the 16,504 drivers involved in crashes, specific contributing actions were recorded for many. The most common cited action was 'Followed Too Closely,' attributed to 2,313 drivers. 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most frequent action with 1,388 instances, followed by 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' with 782 instances.

While the vast majority of drivers were listed as 'Apparently Normal,' several hundred were noted to have other conditions. The most frequently cited condition was driving 'Under the Influence of Medications/Drugs/Alcohol,' recorded for 214 drivers. Additionally, 98 drivers were reported as 'Asleep or Fatigued,' and 75 were noted as being 'Emotional.'

An analysis of driver actions immediately preceding a collision shows that most were engaged in routine maneuvers. A plurality of drivers, 7,885 (48.4%), were going straight ahead. The next most common pre-crash actions were being stopped in traffic (1,696 drivers) and being parked (1,308 drivers).

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact in collisions, with the area designated as 'Sector 12 (North)' being struck in 4,845 instances, or 29.0% of impacts. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South),' was the second most frequent impact point, involved in 3,169 cases (18.9%).

Among the 98 pedestrians whose actions were recorded, nearly half (47) were determined to have committed 'No Improper Action.' For those with contributing actions, 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' and being 'In Roadway Improperly' were the most common, each cited in 10 instances. 'Dart/Dash' into the roadway was noted for 8 pedestrians.

The most frequent type of crash was a front-to-rear collision, which accounted for 3,155 incidents, or 33% of all multi-vehicle crashes with a specified manner. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 1,666 incidents (17.4%). Sideswipes in the same direction of travel occurred in 1,242 crashes (13.0%).

Of the 22,937 people involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, accounting for 16,504 individuals (71.9%). Passengers made up the next largest group, with 5,559 people (24.2%). A small but significant number of vulnerable road users were also involved, including 99 pedestrians and 12 bicyclists.

Across all 22,937 individuals involved in crashes, 10.8% (2,483 people) sustained an injury of some severity, while 0.07% (15 people) were fatally injured. The vast majority, 19,788 people or 86.3% of those involved, were not injured. These figures include all drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and other involved persons.

Among motor vehicle occupants where restraint use was documented, 16,391 were reported as using a shoulder and lap belt. However, 466 occupants, or 2.5% of this group, were recorded as using no restraint at all. An additional 342 individuals were secured in a forward-facing child restraint system.

The majority of crashes, 6,964 incidents or 72.9% of the total, involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common category, with 2,114 incidents, making up 22.1% of all crashes. Multi-vehicle collisions involving three or more vehicles were less frequent, accounting for 5.0% of the total.