9,063 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
SEPTEMBER 2018

Motor vehicle occupants represented the largest group of casualties, with 18 motorists killed and 2,973 injured. Among vulnerable road users, there were 4 pedestrian fatalities and 106 pedestrian injuries recorded. Additionally, 1 cyclist was killed and 40 were injured in crashes during this period.

Crash patterns show a distinct peak during weekday afternoons. The most frequent day for crashes was Tuesday with 1,488 incidents, and the single busiest hour was the 3 p.m. hour with 781 crashes. Overall, crashes were most common during the afternoon commute period between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., which saw a combined total of 2,291 incidents.

Of the 9,063 crashes reported, the majority (74.2%) resulted in no injuries. Injury-involved crashes, encompassing serious, minor, and possible injuries, accounted for 25.5% of all incidents. There were 23 fatal crashes, representing 0.3% of the total, which resulted in 23 fatalities.

The majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 72.1% happening in clear weather and 75.5% on dry road surfaces. Daylight conditions were present for 75.1% of all incidents. Among adverse conditions, rain was a factor in 1,676 crashes, and wet roads were reported in 2,127 incidents.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 3,863 individuals. Among the 17,186 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes were Honda (1,996), Toyota (1,800), and Ford (1,515). These counts include variations in make names recorded in the data.

The most crashes, 2,787 incidents or 30.7% of the total, occurred in zones with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. While lower speed zones saw more crashes, the percentage of fatal crashes within a given zone tended to increase with the speed limit. For instance, 0.215% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, compared to a high of 0.94% in 45 mph zones.

Crash distribution across Connecticut shows a heavy concentration in three counties. Fairfield County had the highest volume with 2,681 crashes (29.6% of the state total), followed by New Haven County with 2,470 crashes (27.2%) and Hartford County with 2,391 crashes (26.4%). These three counties alone accounted for over 83% of all crashes statewide.

Among Connecticut's municipalities, the highest crash volumes were recorded in the state's largest urban centers. Hartford led with 584 crashes, representing 6.4% of the statewide total. New Haven followed with 560 crashes (6.2%), and Bridgeport recorded 542 crashes (6.0%).

Analysis by roadway functional class shows that Minor Arterials were the site of the most crashes, with 2,392 incidents, followed by Principal Arterials with 1,952 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways such as Interstates and Freeways/Expressways accounted for 2,029 crashes, or approximately 23.8% of crashes where the road class was identified.

Crashes were split between state-maintained and local roadways. State-maintained routes, including State, Interstate, and US Routes, accounted for 4,978 incidents. This represents 57.9% of crashes where the route system was known, while local roads were the location for the remaining 3,615 crashes (42.1%).

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was recorded, the vast majority occurred on public roads (8,536 incidents). A smaller number, 349 crashes, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives. This accounts for 3.9% of crashes with known ownership.

The data indicates a significant majority of crashes occurred in urban areas, totaling 8,163 incidents. Crashes in designated rural areas accounted for 351 incidents. This represents 4.1% of the total where the geographic context was specified.

A majority of crashes, 6,076 incidents, occurred at locations not classified as intersections. The remaining 2,966 crashes happened at or were related to a junction. Among these, four-way intersections were the most common site with 1,520 crashes, followed by T-intersections with 1,273 crashes.

Among crashes where the first harmful event was striking a fixed object, the most frequently hit object was a guardrail face, involved in 252 incidents. This was followed by other fixed objects like walls or buildings (188), utility poles or light supports (145), and curbs (111). Collisions with utility poles and trees combined accounted for 244 of these run-off-road crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 10,066 vehicles, followed by Sport Utility Vehicles with 3,703. Medium or heavy trucks were involved in 400 incidents, representing 2.3% of all vehicles. Motorcycles were involved in 156 crashes, and various types of buses were involved in 175.

Data on traffic controls present at crash locations shows that a majority of vehicles, 11,391 or 66.3%, were involved in crashes where no traffic control device was present. Locations with a traffic signal accounted for 4,110 vehicles (23.9% of the total). An additional 1,293 vehicles were involved in crashes at locations controlled by a stop sign.

In crashes involving vulnerable road users or motorcyclists, motorcyclists were the largest group with 152 incidents. Pedestrians were involved in 118 crashes and bicyclists in 46. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 164 crashes, representing 51.9% of these specific incident types.

Among drivers for whom a contributing action was cited, 'Followed Too Closely' was the most common factor, attributed to 2,747 drivers (16.9% of all drivers). 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most frequent action, noted for 1,673 drivers (10.3%). Other common actions included 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (955 drivers) and 'Improper Backing' (501 drivers).

Beyond drivers noted as 'Apparently Normal,' the most cited condition was driving 'Under the Influence of Medications/Drugs/Alcohol,' reported for 227 drivers, or 1.4% of all drivers. Driver fatigue was also a factor, with 115 drivers identified as 'Asleep or Fatigued.' Additionally, 70 drivers were noted as being in an emotional state, such as angry or disturbed.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was 'Straight Ahead,' recorded for 7,636 vehicles, or 44.4% of the total. The second most frequent situation was being 'Stopped in Traffic,' which applied to 2,014 vehicles (11.7%). Other notable pre-crash movements included 'Turning Left' (1,310 vehicles) and 'Slowing' (1,241 vehicles).

The most frequent point of impact was the front of the vehicle, described as 'Sector 12 (North),' which was recorded for 4,883 vehicles, or 28.4% of all vehicles involved. The second most common impact point was the rear ('Sector 6 (South)'), accounting for 3,509 vehicles (20.4%). These two impact types are consistent with the prevalence of front-to-rear collisions.

For the 148 pedestrians involved in crashes, the most common recorded action was 'No Improper Action,' attributed to 60 individuals. Among improper actions cited, 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' was the most frequent, with 23 cases. This was followed by 'In Roadway Improperly' (16 cases) and 'Dart/Dash' (15 cases).

The most common type of crash was a 'Front to rear' collision, which accounted for 3,422 incidents, or 37.8% of all crashes with a known collision manner. The second most frequent type was an 'Angle' collision, with 1,747 incidents (19.3%). Sideswipes in the same direction were also common, representing 13.7% of crashes.

Of the 22,434 people involved in crashes, the vast majority were drivers, accounting for 16,253 individuals (72.5%). Passengers made up the next largest group with 5,086 individuals (22.7%). Vulnerable road users, including 148 pedestrians and 48 bicyclists, constituted approximately 0.9% of all persons involved.

Among all 22,434 individuals involved in crashes, a total of 3,142 people sustained some level of injury, representing 14.0% of all participants. This includes 103 serious injuries, 1,199 minor injuries, and 1,817 possible injuries. Fatal injuries were recorded for 23 individuals, accounting for 0.1% of all persons involved.

The data shows that 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' was the most common restraint status, reported for 15,703 vehicle occupants. Among occupants where restraint use was specified, 416 individuals were recorded as using no restraint system. This represents 2.3% of occupants with known safety equipment status.

The vast majority of crashes, 6,884 incidents or 75.9% of the total, involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 1,625 incidents, representing 17.9% of the total. Crashes involving three or more vehicles were less common, with one incident involving as many as 10 vehicles.