2,710 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2015

Motor vehicle occupants constituted the largest group of casualties, with 16 individuals killed and 802 injured. Among vulnerable road users, one pedestrian was killed and 17 were injured. While no bicyclists were killed, seven sustained injuries.

Crash frequencies peaked on Fridays, with 462 incidents, and during the 3 p.m. hour, which saw 225 crashes. The data indicates that most crashes occurred during daylight hours, with 1,857 incidents (68.5%) happening in daylight conditions.

The majority of crashes, 76.9% or 2,084 incidents, resulted in no injuries. Crashes involving injuries accounted for 22.6% of the total, distributed among possible (10.3%), minor (11.7%), and serious (0.6%) injury categories. There were 15 fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 17 fatalities, as a single crash can involve more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 15 fatal crash events resulted in 17 persons killed.

A significant majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions. Approximately 74.8% of incidents happened in clear weather, 69.9% on dry road surfaces, and 68.5% during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse weather included 210 in rain and 193 in snow.

Among all persons involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented with 1,022 individuals, followed by the 21-25 age group (969) and the 16-20 age group (939). The most frequent vehicle makes involved were Ford (557), Honda (447), and Chevrolet (290).

The speed limit zone with the highest number of crashes was 35 mph, where 560 incidents occurred. The highest fatality rate was observed in the 50 mph zone, where 10.2% of the 49 crashes in that zone were fatal. Crashes in 30 mph and 65 mph zones had fatality rates of 0.44% and 0.42% respectively.

The highest crash volumes within the county were concentrated in a few key towns. Vernon led with 729 crashes, followed by Mansfield with 501 and Tolland with 294. Together, these three municipalities accounted for 1,524 crashes, representing over 56% of the county's total.

Among crashes where the road class was recorded, Collector roads accounted for the highest number of incidents at 249. Principal Arterial roads saw 118 crashes, while limited-access highways, combining Interstates (112) and Freeways/Expressways (12), accounted for a total of 124 crashes.

Analysis of the route system shows that state-maintained roadways accounted for the majority of crashes. A combined 1,860 crashes occurred on State, Interstate, and US Routes. In contrast, 713 crashes were reported on local road systems.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority (2,548) occurred on public roads. A smaller but notable number of incidents, 79 crashes, took place on private roads or properties such as parking lots and private drives.

In crashes where the geographic context was specified, urban areas saw a higher volume of incidents, with 518 crashes. Rural areas accounted for 277 crashes in the dataset.

The majority of crashes, 1,859 incidents, occurred at locations that were not at an intersection. For crashes that did happen at junctions, T-intersections were the most common site with 426 incidents, followed by four-way intersections with 350.

Among crashes where the first harmful event was striking a fixed object, the most frequently hit objects were utility poles or light supports (112 incidents), trees (96), and guardrail faces (85). Combined, collisions with poles and trees accounted for 208 of these run-off-road crashes.

Passenger cars were the most prevalent vehicle type involved in collisions, with 3,082 such vehicles recorded. Following passenger cars were (Sport) Utility Vehicles with 658 involved, and Pick Up trucks with 408. Medium to heavy trucks were involved in 138 crashes, while motorcycles were involved in 50.

Of the 4,750 vehicles involved in crashes, a majority (3,305) were in areas with no traffic control device present. For incidents at controlled locations, traffic signals were the most common type, present for 860 vehicles involved in crashes, followed by stop signs for 386 vehicles.

There were 77 crashes involving motorcyclists, pedestrians, or bicyclists. Motorcyclists were the most frequent group with 49 incidents. The combined total for vulnerable road users was 28 crashes, comprising 20 involving pedestrians and 8 involving bicyclists.

Excluding drivers with no contributing action, the most common action cited was 'Followed Too Closely,' attributed to 726 drivers. Other leading actions included 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' for 457 drivers and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' for 338 drivers.

Among drivers for whom a specific condition was noted, 142 were recorded as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Another 88 drivers were identified as being asleep or fatigued at the time of the crash.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was 'Straight Ahead,' recorded for 2,044 vehicles. This was followed by vehicles that were 'Stopped in Traffic' (529) and those that were 'Turning Left' (413).

The front of the vehicle, designated as 'Sector 12 (North),' was the most frequent point of impact, recorded in 1,370 instances. The second most common impact area was the rear of the vehicle, or 'Sector 6 (South),' which was struck in 818 cases.

In the 20 crashes involving pedestrians, 'No Improper Action' was the most common circumstance, noted in 8 cases. For incidents where an improper action was recorded, 'Failure to Obey Traffic Signs, Signals, or Officer' and 'Failure to Yield Right-Of-Way' were each cited 3 times.

Rear-end collisions ('Front to rear') were the most frequent type of crash, accounting for 846 incidents, or 31.2% of all collisions. The second most common crash type was an angle collision, which occurred in 519 incidents (19.2%).

Of the 6,562 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, accounting for 4,566 people. Passengers represented the second-largest group with 1,619 individuals. A smaller number of non-motorists were involved, including 20 pedestrians and 8 bicyclists.

Across all 6,562 people involved in crashes, 17 sustained fatal injuries and a combined 826 sustained injuries of any severity. The vast majority of individuals, 5,393 people or approximately 82.2%, were not injured.

Among vehicle occupants whose safety equipment usage was documented, 5,126 were reported to have used a shoulder and lap belt. Conversely, 156 occupants were recorded as using no restraint system at the time of the crash.

Two-vehicle collisions were the most common type of incident, with 1,766 crashes recorded. Single-vehicle crashes were the second most frequent, accounting for 821 incidents or 30.3% of the total. Multi-vehicle crashes involving three or more vehicles were less common, with 123 such events.