8,619 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
MARCH 2018

Of the 15 total fatalities, 12 were motorists and 3 were pedestrians. Motorists also accounted for the vast majority of injuries, with 2,693 individuals injured. Additionally, 95 pedestrians and 18 cyclists sustained injuries during this period. No cyclist fatalities were recorded.

Crash frequencies peaked on Friday, which saw 1,705 incidents, and during the 3 p.m. hour, when 701 crashes occurred. A significant majority of collisions, 6,164 or 71.5%, happened during daylight hours. Crashes in dark but lighted conditions accounted for another 1,638 incidents.

The vast majority of crashes, 76.6% (6,602 incidents), resulted in no injuries. Crashes involving possible, minor, or serious injuries accounted for 23.4% of the total. There were 15 fatal crashes recorded, which resulted in 15 fatalities; in some incidents, a single crash can lead to multiple deaths.

Most crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 78.1% (6,735) happening in clear weather and 78.2% (6,742) on dry road surfaces. Collisions during daylight hours accounted for 71.5% (6,164) of the total. Among adverse conditions, wet roads were present in 1,001 crashes and snow was a factor in 664 incidents.

Among all individuals involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 3,713 people. Analysis of the 16,211 vehicles involved shows that Honda was the most frequent make, with 1,615 vehicles, followed by Ford (1,570), Toyota (1,367), and Nissan (1,173).

The 25 mph speed zone saw the highest number of crashes, with 2,677 incidents, making up 31.1% of the total. The percentage of crashes within a zone that were fatal generally increased with the speed limit; for instance, 0.11% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, while this figure rose to 0.59% in 45 mph zones and 0.38% in zones posted at 88 mph.

Fairfield County recorded the highest number of crashes with 2,568 incidents, representing 29.8% of the statewide total. New Haven County followed closely with 2,478 crashes (28.7%), and Hartford County had 2,054 crashes (23.8%). Together, these three counties accounted for over 82% of all crashes in the state.

The highest concentration of crashes occurred in New Haven, which saw 611 incidents or 7.1% of the state's total. Bridgeport was the second-highest with 514 crashes (6.0%), followed by Hartford with 508 crashes (5.9%). Waterbury (483) and Stamford (383) also ranked among the top five cities for crash volume.

Minor Arterial roads were the site of the most crashes, with 2,305 incidents. Principal Arterial roads followed with 1,864 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways such as Interstates (1,046) and Freeways/Expressways (627) accounted for 1,673 crashes, or 19.4% of the total.

Analysis of roadway jurisdiction shows that 56.1% of crashes occurred on state-maintained routes, including 2,742 on State routes, 1,034 on Interstates, and 780 on US Routes. The remaining 43.9% of crashes, totaling 3,569 incidents, took place on local roads.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, 388 incidents, or 4.6%, occurred on private property such as parking lots or private drives. The vast majority of crashes, 8,045 incidents, took place on public roads.

The data indicates a significant majority of crashes, 7,644 incidents, occurred in areas classified as Urban. Crashes in Rural areas accounted for 361 incidents, representing 4.5% of the total where this classification was recorded.

Most crashes, 5,706 incidents or 66.2% of the total, did not occur at an intersection. For those that did, four-way intersections were the most common location with 1,405 crashes, followed by T-intersections with 1,305 crashes. In total, 33.6% of all crashes happened at some type of junction.

Among crashes where the first harmful event was a collision with a fixed object, the most frequently struck objects were utility or light poles (238 incidents), other fixed objects like walls or buildings (215), and guardrail faces (210). Collisions with poles and trees combined accounted for 483 separate incidents.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 9,725 of the vehicles. Sport utility vehicles were the next most frequent with 3,409, followed by pickup trucks with 1,166. Notably, 365 medium or heavy trucks and 23 motorcycles were also involved in collisions.

For vehicles involved in crashes, 66.4% (10,771 vehicles) were at locations with no traffic control device. Locations with a traffic control signal accounted for 23.9% of vehicles (3,870), while 1,294 vehicles were at locations with a stop sign.

A total of 142 crashes involved pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. Vulnerable road users, defined here as pedestrians and bicyclists, were involved in 119 of these incidents, representing 83.8% of this crash subset. Pedestrians were involved in 95 crashes and bicyclists in 24.

Among the 15,353 drivers involved in crashes, 'Following Too Closely' was the most cited contributing action, attributed to 2,400 drivers (15.6%). 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most common action, noted for 1,452 drivers (9.5%), followed by 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' for 898 drivers (5.8%).

Of all drivers, 539 individuals (3.5%) were recorded as having a physical or mental condition other than 'Apparently Normal'. The most common condition noted was being 'Under the Influence of Medications/Drugs/Alcohol,' which was recorded for 228 drivers. An additional 114 drivers were noted as 'Asleep or Fatigued.'

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was 'Straight Ahead,' which described the movement of 7,376 vehicles (45.5%). 'Stopped in Traffic' was the second most frequent pre-crash action, recorded for 1,764 vehicles (10.9%), followed by 'Turning Left' for 1,213 vehicles (7.5%).

Analysis of the initial point of impact shows that frontal collisions were most common, with 50.1% of vehicles (8,125) being struck in the front sectors. Rear impacts were the second most frequent, accounting for 28.0% of vehicles (4,537).

Among the 114 pedestrians involved, 57 were determined to have taken 'No Improper Action' prior to the collision. For the remainder, the most frequently cited action was 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way,' recorded for 15 pedestrians, followed by 'In Roadway Improperly' for 11 pedestrians.

The most prevalent type of collision was 'Front to rear,' which accounted for 3,082 crashes, or 35.8% of all incidents. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 1,710 crashes, representing 19.8% of the total.

Of the 21,115 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers (15,353 people, or 72.7%). Passengers constituted the next largest group, with 4,800 individuals (22.7%). The data also included 114 pedestrians and 24 bicyclists.

Across all 21,115 people involved, 15 individuals (0.07%) sustained fatal injuries. A total of 2,806 people (13.3%) suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. The vast majority, 17,578 people or 83.2%, were not injured.

Among motor vehicle occupants for whom safety equipment use was recorded, 462 individuals, or 2.7%, were noted as not using any restraints. The most common form of protection was a shoulder and lap belt, used by 14,531 occupants.