10,736 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
NOVEMBER 2018

During this period, 28 individuals were killed and 3,308 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedestrians represented a significant portion of fatalities, with 8 killed and 132 injured. While no cyclists were killed, 23 were injured. Motorists accounted for 20 fatalities and 3,152 injuries.

Crash occurrences peaked on Thursday with 2,181 incidents, and the single busiest hour for crashes was the 5 p.m. hour, which saw 1,410 collisions, indicating a strong correlation with evening commute times. Crashes were slightly more frequent during daylight hours (5,551 crashes) compared to all hours with limited or no light combined (4,971 crashes).

The majority of crashes, 77.5% (8,323 incidents), resulted in no injuries. Injury-involved crashes, including serious, minor, and possible injuries, accounted for 22.3% of the total. There were 27 fatal crashes during this period, which resulted in a total of 28 fatalities, as a single crash can involve more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 27 fatal crash events resulted in 28 persons killed.

A majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 64.7% (6,948 crashes) happening in clear weather and 63.6% (6,830 crashes) on dry road surfaces. Crashes during daylight hours accounted for 51.7% (5,551) of all incidents. Adverse weather conditions were also a factor, with rain present in 1,965 crashes and snow in 745 crashes.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 4,619 individuals. Among the 20,347 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes were Honda (2,095 vehicles), Ford (1,959 vehicles), and Toyota (1,909 vehicles). These were followed by Nissan with 1,663 vehicles and Chevrolet with 1,149 vehicles.

The speed limit zone with the highest number of crashes was 25 mph, accounting for 3,018 incidents or 28.1% of the total. Analysis of fatal crash rates within each speed zone shows a general trend of increasing severity with higher speeds. For instance, while 0.17% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, this rate rose to 0.52% in 55 mph zones and 0.76% in 65 mph zones.

The geographic distribution of crashes was concentrated in three counties, which together accounted for over 82% of all incidents statewide. Fairfield County recorded the highest number of crashes with 3,132 (29.2%), followed by New Haven County with 2,978 (27.7%) and Hartford County with 2,777 (25.9%).

Crash incidents were most concentrated in Connecticut's largest urban centers. New Haven experienced the most crashes with 636, representing 5.9% of the statewide total. This was followed by Hartford with 593 crashes (5.5%), Waterbury with 572 crashes (5.3%), and Bridgeport with 569 crashes (5.3%).

Crashes occurred most frequently on Minor Arterial roads, which saw 3,060 incidents, followed by Principal Arterials with 2,372 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways like Interstates (1,433) and Freeways/Expressways (818) accounted for 2,251 crashes. This represents 22.1% of collisions where road class was specified.

Analysis of roadway jurisdiction shows that a majority of crashes occurred on routes maintained by the state. State, Interstate, and US Routes collectively accounted for 6,080 crashes, representing 59.2% of incidents with a specified route system. Crashes on local roads accounted for the remaining 4,190 incidents (40.8%).

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority occurred on public roads (10,150 incidents). Crashes on private property, such as in parking lots or on private drives, accounted for 402 incidents. This represents 3.8% of crashes in this subset.

The data indicates a significant disparity in crash locations between urban and rural settings. Urban areas accounted for 9,709 crashes, while rural areas saw 467 crashes. This means that 4.6% of crashes with a defined location type occurred in rural areas.

The majority of crashes, 7,151 incidents, occurred at locations not classified as intersections. Of the crashes that did happen at junctions, four-way intersections were the most common site with 1,764 incidents, followed by T-intersections with 1,569. In total, 33.3% of crashes occurred at an intersection of some type.

Among crashes involving a vehicle striking a fixed object, the most frequently hit objects were guardrail faces (267 incidents), walls or buildings (242), and utility poles (188). Collisions with utility poles and trees combined accounted for 326 incidents, representing 22.6% of all documented fixed-object crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 11,921 vehicles, followed by Sport Utility Vehicles with 4,556. Medium and heavy trucks were involved in 485 crashes. Additionally, 205 buses (including school and transit types) and 33 motorcycles were recorded in collisions during this period.

The most common situation recorded was the absence of a traffic control device, noted in 13,369 instances related to vehicles in crashes. Crashes at locations with traffic signals were associated with 4,981 vehicle instances, while those at stop signs accounted for 1,538. A smaller number of incidents were reported at locations with flashing signals (206) and yield signs (99).

Crashes in this period involved 202 vulnerable road users and motorcyclists. Pedestrians were the most frequent group, involved in 145 crashes, followed by motorcyclists in 33 and bicyclists in 24. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 169 incidents, or 83.7% of crashes in this specific category.

Among drivers for whom a contributing action was cited, following too closely was the most common factor, attributed to 3,111 drivers (16.0%). The next most frequent actions were failing to keep in the proper lane, cited for 1,891 drivers (9.7%), and failing to yield the right-of-way for 1,136 drivers (5.8%).

While the vast majority of drivers were listed as 'Apparently Normal,' several adverse conditions were recorded. Driving under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol was noted for 240 drivers. An additional 118 drivers were reported as asleep or fatigued, and 90 were identified as being in an emotional state.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was traveling straight ahead, which was the case for 9,356 vehicles (46.0%). A significant number of vehicles were either stopped in traffic (2,335 vehicles) or in the process of slowing (1,590 vehicles) just prior to the collision. Turning left was the fourth most common maneuver, recorded for 1,489 vehicles.

Analysis of the initial point of impact shows that frontal collisions were the most frequent, with 5,878 vehicles being struck in the front. Rear impacts were the second most common, involving 4,059 vehicles. These two impact points account for 48.8% of all vehicle impacts recorded.

For the 157 pedestrians whose actions were documented, 58 were determined to have taken no improper action. Among improper actions cited, 'In Roadway Improperly' was the most frequent with 17 instances, followed by 'Not Visible' (15) and 'Dart/Dash' (14). Failure to yield right-of-way was noted for 13 pedestrians.

The most prevalent type of crash was front-to-rear collisions, which accounted for 3,988 incidents, or 37.1% of the total. Angle collisions were the second most common type with 2,113 incidents (19.7%). Same-direction sideswipes were also frequent, representing 1,410 crashes (13.1%).

A total of 26,364 people were involved in crashes during this period. Drivers were the largest group, accounting for 19,444 individuals (73.8%), while passengers numbered 5,874 (22.3%). The data also includes 152 pedestrians and 25 bicyclists involved in collisions.

Of the 26,364 individuals involved in crashes, 28 sustained fatal injuries, representing 0.11% of all persons. A total of 3,308 people, or 12.5%, suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. The vast majority of people involved, 22,258 individuals, were not injured.

Shoulder and lap belts were the most commonly used form of safety equipment, reported for 18,766 occupants. A total of 451 motor vehicle occupants were documented as not using any restraint system at the time of the crash. This represents 2.1% of occupants for whom safety equipment usage was specified.

The majority of crashes, 8,032 incidents, involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 2,004 incidents, or 18.7% of the total. Multi-vehicle collisions involving three or more vehicles were less common, totaling 700 incidents, with one crash involving as many as eight vehicles.