2,703 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
2018

In 2018, motorists comprised the vast majority of those killed or injured, with 15 fatalities and 797 injuries. Among vulnerable road users, one pedestrian was killed and 19 were injured. Additionally, four cyclists were injured in crashes, with no cyclist fatalities reported.

Crashes in Tolland County were most frequent on Fridays, with 443 incidents recorded. The single busiest hour for crashes was 3 p.m., which saw 220 events. Overall, collisions predominantly occurred during daylight hours, which accounted for 1,801 of the total 2,703 crashes.

The majority of crashes, 76.4% (2,066 incidents), resulted in no injuries. Injury-related crashes, including serious, minor, and possible injuries, constituted 23.0% of the total. There were 15 fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 16 fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 15 fatal crash events resulted in 16 persons killed.

A significant majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 73.9% happening in clear weather and 69.2% on dry road surfaces. Daylight conditions were present for 1,801 crashes (66.6% of the total). Crashes in adverse weather included 322 in rain and 126 in snow, while 524 incidents occurred on wet roads.

Among all persons involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented with 966 individuals, followed closely by the 16-20 and 21-25 age groups with 926 and 921 individuals, respectively. The most frequent vehicle makes involved in these incidents were Ford with 575 vehicles, Toyota with 437, and Honda with 434.

Roadways with a posted speed limit of 35 mph saw the highest number of crashes, accounting for 613 incidents or 22.7% of the total. While crashes were most numerous in lower speed zones, the highest rate of fatal crashes occurred in the 65 mph zone, where 1.85% of crashes were fatal. In the 40 mph zone, 0.87% of crashes resulted in a fatality.

Crash distribution across Tolland County was concentrated in a few key towns. Vernon accounted for the largest share of incidents with 773 crashes, or 28.6% of the county's total. Mansfield followed with 487 crashes (18.0%), and the town of Tolland recorded 257 crashes (9.5%).

Principal Arterials were the site of the most crashes, with 755 incidents recorded on this road class. Collector roads saw the second-highest volume with 616 crashes. Combined, limited-access highways such as Interstates (277) and Freeways/Expressways (59) accounted for 12.4% of all crashes in the county.

The majority of crashes, 1,918 incidents, occurred on state-maintained routes, which include State, Interstate, and US Routes. This represents 75.2% of crashes where the route system was identified. Local roads accounted for the remaining 633 crashes, or 24.8% of the total.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was documented, the vast majority (2,604) occurred on public roads. A smaller but notable number of incidents, 61 crashes or 2.3%, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives.

Crashes in Tolland County were predominantly located in urban areas, which accounted for 1,916 incidents. Rural areas saw 602 crashes, representing 23.9% of the total where this designation was recorded.

The most common location for crashes was not at an intersection, with 1,782 such incidents recorded. However, a substantial portion of crashes, totaling 919 incidents or 34.0%, occurred at or were related to junctions. Among intersection types, T-intersections were the most frequent site for crashes with 449 incidents, followed by four-way intersections with 401.

Among crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most commonly struck objects were utility poles or light supports (113 incidents), trees (103 incidents), and guardrail faces (98 incidents). Combined, collisions with poles and trees accounted for 216 of these run-off-road crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 3,081 of all vehicles recorded. Sport Utility Vehicles (718) and Pick Up trucks (434) were the next most frequent. The data also includes 125 medium or heavy trucks, 38 motorcycles, and 32 buses involved in crashes.

For vehicles involved in crashes, the most common traffic control scenario was the absence of any control device, noted for 3,358 vehicles. Crashes at locations with traffic signals involved 938 vehicles, while locations with stop signs involved 372 vehicles.

Crashes in 2018 involved 62 vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Motorcyclists were the most frequent group with 38 incidents. Combined, pedestrians (20) and bicyclists (4) accounted for 24 of these crashes, representing 38.7% of this specific group.

The most common contributing driver action identified in crashes was 'Followed Too Closely,' cited for 760 drivers, or 16.4% of all drivers. 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' was the second most frequent action, attributed to 517 drivers (11.2%). 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' was a factor for 358 drivers.

While most drivers were listed as 'Apparently Normal,' several non-normal conditions were noted. Being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol was recorded for 112 drivers (2.4% of all drivers). An additional 60 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued, and 30 were noted as ill or fainted.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was proceeding straight ahead, which was the case for 2,161 vehicles (45.1% of the total). A significant number of vehicles were stopped in traffic (590) or in the process of turning left (429) immediately prior to the collision.

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of impact, recorded as 'Sector 12 (North)' for 1,419 vehicles, representing 29.7% of all impacts. The rear of the vehicle, 'Sector 6 (South)', was the second most frequent impact point, accounting for 847 incidents (17.7%).

Among the 21 pedestrians involved in crashes, several contributing actions were noted. Five pedestrians were recorded as being in the roadway improperly, while four were cited for failure to yield the right-of-way. In four other cases, no improper action was attributed to the pedestrian.

The most prevalent type of collision was front-to-rear, which accounted for 867 crashes, or 32.1% of all incidents with a specified collision manner. Angle collisions were the second most common type, with 539 incidents, representing 19.9% of the total.

Of the 6,370 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers, accounting for 4,628 people (72.7%). Passengers made up the next largest group with 1,401 individuals (22.0%). The data also includes 21 pedestrians and 4 bicyclists.

Across all 6,370 people involved in crashes, 16 individuals sustained fatal injuries (0.25%). A total of 820 people, or 12.9%, suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. The vast majority, 5,245 people, were recorded as having no injuries.

The vast majority of vehicle occupants (5,169) were reported to have used a shoulder and lap belt. However, 110 occupants were recorded as not using any safety restraint at the time of their crash. This represents approximately 2.0% of occupants for whom restraint use was documented.

The most common incidents were two-vehicle crashes, with 1,784 occurrences. Single-vehicle crashes were also frequent, accounting for 778 incidents or 28.8% of the total. Crashes involving three or more vehicles were less common, with 140 such events recorded.