9,209 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
SEPTEMBER 2015

Vulnerable road users were significantly impacted, with 8 pedestrians and 1 cyclist killed in crashes. Additionally, 117 pedestrians and 68 cyclists sustained injuries. For comparison, 18 motorists were killed and 3,081 were injured during the same period.

Crash frequency peaked on Wednesday with 1,666 incidents, and the most hazardous hour was 2 p.m., which saw 773 crashes. Crashes were most common during daytime hours, with a significant surge during the afternoon period between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The majority of crashes (74.1%) resulted in no injuries, while 25.7% involved at least one possible, minor, or serious injury. There were 25 fatal crashes, which accounted for 0.3% of all incidents and resulted in a total of 27 fatalities, indicating some crashes involved more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 25 fatal crash events resulted in 27 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal conditions, with 75.8% happening in daylight, 88.0% in clear weather, and 89.3% on dry road surfaces. Adverse weather was a factor in a smaller portion of incidents, with 712 crashes occurring during rain and 897 on wet roads.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was the most represented with 3,866 individuals, followed by the 45-54 age group with 3,492 individuals. Among vehicle makes involved in crashes, data suggests Honda (1,974 vehicles), Toyota (1,814 vehicles), and Ford (1,729 vehicles) were the most frequent.

The most crashes occurred in 25 mph zones, which saw 2,879 incidents, accounting for 31.3% of all crashes. The percentage of crashes that were fatal tended to increase with the posted speed limit, with a notable rate in 45 mph zones where 1.10% of crashes resulted in a fatality.

Fairfield County experienced the highest volume of crashes with 2,612 incidents, followed by Hartford County with 2,029 and New Haven County with 1,787. Combined, these three counties accounted for over 81% of all crashes for which county data was recorded.

The highest concentration of crashes occurred in Connecticut's largest cities, with Hartford recording 720 incidents, New Haven recording a combined 675 incidents, and Bridgeport recording 495. Together, these three cities accounted for approximately 20.5% of all crashes statewide during this period.

Among crashes where the road class was identified, Minor Arterial roads saw the most incidents with 338, closely followed by Local roads with 318. Limited-access highways, including Interstates and Freeways/Expressways, collectively accounted for 357 crashes, or 24.2% of crashes in this subset.

Crashes were split between state-maintained routes and local roads, with local roads accounting for 3,874 crashes. State-maintained routes, including State, Interstate, and US Routes, were the location for 4,902 crashes, representing 55.9% of the incidents where route system was specified.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority occurred on public roads (8,563 incidents). A total of 368 crashes, or 4.1% of this subset, took place on private roads such as in parking lots or private drives.

In cases where the area type was identified, crashes were predominantly urban, with 1,304 incidents recorded. Rural areas accounted for 171 crashes, representing 11.6% of this specific dataset.

The majority of crashes, 6,229 incidents, did not occur at an intersection. Approximately 32.0% of crashes (2,947 incidents) happened at or in relation to a junction, with four-way intersections being the most common type, accounting for 1,491 crashes.

When a crash involved striking a fixed object, the most common objects hit were unclassified fixed objects like walls or buildings (204 incidents), guardrail faces (179), and utility poles or light supports (164). Collisions with utility poles and trees together accounted for 271 incidents, representing 21.7% of all reported fixed-object crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 11,083 of the 17,552 vehicles, followed by (Sport) Utility Vehicles with 2,890. The data also includes 481 medium or heavy trucks, 210 motorcycles, and 200 buses of various types.

A majority of vehicles in crashes, 11,586 in total, were at locations with no traffic control device present. Crashes at locations with a traffic control signal involved 4,334 vehicles, while 1,199 involved a stop sign.

Among incidents involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists, there were 204 motorcyclists, 135 pedestrians, and 84 bicyclists. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists made up 219 of these incidents, representing 51.8% of this high-risk group.

The most frequently cited driver action contributing to a crash was 'Followed Too Closely,' recorded for 2,977 drivers. This was followed by 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' (1,331 drivers) and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (831 drivers).

Among drivers where a condition other than 'Apparently Normal' was noted, 256 were determined to be under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Additionally, 141 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued, and 83 were noted as being in an emotional state.

The most common pre-crash action for drivers was 'Straight Ahead,' which was reported for 8,061 vehicles. The next most common actions were 'Stopped in Traffic' (1,939 vehicles) and 'Slowing' (1,342 vehicles).

The most common point of impact was the front of the vehicle, which was struck in 5,153 instances. The rear of the vehicle was the second most common impact point, with 3,893 instances. Combined, frontal and rear impacts accounted for 56.0% of all collisions where the initial impact point was recorded.

In nearly half of the incidents involving pedestrians for which an action was recorded (48.6%), the pedestrian was determined to have taken 'No Improper Action' (104 cases). The most common improper actions cited were 'Dart/Dash' into the roadway (23 cases) and being 'In Roadway Improperly' (20 cases).

Front-to-rear collisions were the most common type of crash, accounting for 3,701 incidents, or 40.2% of the total. Angle collisions were the second most frequent type with 1,603 crashes (17.4%), followed by same-direction sideswipes with 1,227 crashes (13.3%).

Of the 23,870 people involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, accounting for 16,747 individuals (70.2%). Passengers comprised the next largest group with 5,851 individuals (24.5%), while 140 pedestrians and 87 bicyclists were also involved.

Across all 23,870 individuals involved, 82.1% (19,604 people) reported no injuries. A total of 3,267 people sustained injuries of varying severity (13.7%), and 27 individuals suffered fatal injuries, representing 0.11% of all persons involved.

Among vehicle occupants for whom safety equipment use was recorded, 85.0% (15,988 individuals) were reported as using a shoulder and lap belt. A total of 581 occupants, or 3.1% of this group, were recorded as using no restraint system at the time of the crash.

The vast majority of crashes, 6,986 incidents or 75.9%, involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 17.8% of the total (1,641 incidents), while multi-vehicle incidents involving three or more vehicles made up the remaining 6.3%.