128 CRASHES IN
DELAWARE
2023

The peak day for fatal crashes remained Saturday in both periods, with 25 fatal crashes in the current year compared to 29 in the prior year. The peak hour shifted from 10 p.m. with 12 fatal crashes in the prior year to 9 p.m. with 13 fatal crashes in the current year. Notably, fatal crashes in April more than doubled from 8 to 20, while December saw a significant decrease from 18 to 9 fatal crashes.

Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions decreased from 100 in the prior year to 87 in the current year, and those in cloudy conditions fell from 33 to 20. Conversely, fatal crashes during rain conditions more than doubled, increasing from 8 to 17. Fatal crashes during daylight decreased from 56 to 46, while those in dark but lighted conditions nearly doubled from 13 to 23.

The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 234 in the prior year to 197 in the current year. Honda, which was the top make in the prior year with 28 vehicles, saw its count drop to 12 in the current year, moving it out of the top three. Chevrolet and Ford became the top two makes in the current year, with 27 and 25 vehicles respectively, while Toyota remained a prominent make with 18 vehicles.

Fatal crashes at 50 mph speed limits decreased from 48 in the prior year to 34 in the current year, and those at 65 mph dropped from 17 to 9. Conversely, fatal crashes at 35 mph increased from 14 to 16, and at 45 mph from 20 to 21. These shifts indicate a slight redistribution of fatal crashes across different speed limit zones.

The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', accounting for 80 fatal crashes (62.5%) in the current year, up from 75 (52.4%) in the prior year. Angle collisions decreased from 37 (25.9%) to 27 (21.1%) fatal crashes. Front-to-Front collisions also saw a reduction, from 17 (11.9%) to 11 (8.6%) fatal crashes.

The most common vehicle body type in fatal crashes remained '4-door sedan, hardtop' with 66 incidents in both periods. 'Compact Utility' vehicles saw a slight decrease from 43 to 40, and 'Light Pickup' vehicles decreased from 32 to 24. Fatal crashes involving motorcycles decreased from 19 to 12, while those involving large trucks (truck-tractors and single-unit straight trucks over 19,500 lbs) decreased from 19 to 10.

In the current year, 80 fatal crashes occurred in urban areas and 46 in rural areas, compared to 88 in urban areas and 55 in rural areas in the prior year. The share of fatal crashes on rural roads decreased slightly from 38.5% to 36.5%. Rural roads continue to account for a significant proportion of fatal crashes.

In the current year, 'Other Principal Arterial' roads accounted for the most fatal crashes with 44, followed by 'Minor Arterial' with 25 and 'Major Collector' with 23. This is a shift from the prior year where 'Principal Arterial - Other' had 50 fatal crashes, 'Major Collector' had 27, and 'Minor Arterial' had 20. Fatal crashes on Interstate roads decreased from 16 to 8.

The State Highway Agency remained the primary owner of roadways where fatal crashes occurred, with 121 fatal crashes in the current year, down from 140 in the prior year. City or Municipal Highway Agencies saw 4 fatal crashes in the current year, an increase from no reported crashes in the prior year. This indicates that state-owned roads continue to bear the majority of fatal crash incidents.

Drivers were the most numerous person type involved in fatal crashes, with 197 in the current year, down from 234 in the prior year. Passengers also saw a decrease from 120 to 104. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes decreased from 31 to 29, and bicyclists from 7 to 5.

The number of fatalities (K) decreased from 162 in the prior year to 135 in the current year. The count of persons with minor injuries (B) decreased from 73 to 60. Conversely, persons with possible injuries (C) increased significantly from 2 to 21. The number of persons with serious injuries (A) remained constant at 39.

The use of 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 231 persons in the prior year to 186 in the current year. The number of persons recorded with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment also decreased, from 89 to 79. This suggests a slight reduction in both overall restraint use and non-use among those involved in fatal crashes.

The dominant point of impact in fatal crashes for both periods was the '12 Clock Point' (front of the vehicle), accounting for 126 incidents in the current year, a decrease from 131 in the prior year. Impacts at the '6 Clock Point' (rear of the vehicle) significantly decreased from 18 to 8. 'Non-Collision' incidents increased from 6 to 8.

Single-vehicle fatal crashes saw a slight increase from 65 in the prior year to 67 in the current year. Two-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 68 to 48, indicating a shift towards fewer multi-vehicle incidents. Crashes involving three vehicles increased from 5 to 12, while crashes with four or more vehicles decreased from 4 to 1.