423 CRASHES IN
IOWA, IA
2015

In 2015, one motorist was killed in a traffic crash in Bremer County. A total of 111 individuals were injured, the vast majority of whom were motorists (105 people). Additionally, 3 pedestrians and 3 cyclists sustained injuries in separate incidents, though no fatalities were recorded for these vulnerable road users.

Crash analysis for 2015 indicates that Fridays were the most frequent day for incidents, with 78 crashes recorded. The afternoon hour from 3:00 PM to 3:59 PM was the peak time, accounting for 38 collisions. Crashes occurred most often during daylight hours, with 190 incidents, while the months of November (64 crashes) and October (53 crashes) saw the highest frequency of events.

Of the 423 total crashes in 2015, a large majority (79.2%, or 335 incidents) resulted in no injuries. Crashes involving injuries accounted for 20.6% of the total, broken down into 50 with possible injuries, 32 with minor injuries, and 5 with serious injuries. There was 1 fatal crash during this period, which resulted in 1 fatality.

The most significant contributing factor to crashes in 2015 was contact with an animal, which was cited in 167 incidents, representing 39.5% of all crashes with a determined factor. Other leading causes included drivers losing control (28 crashes), failure to yield the right-of-way while making a left turn (23 crashes), and driving too fast for conditions (22 crashes).

The majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Specifically, 190 crashes happened during daylight hours, 155 occurred in clear weather, and 156 took place on dry road surfaces. Adverse weather conditions were a factor in a smaller subset of incidents, with 24 crashes occurring during snow and 18 during rain, while 36 crashes happened on snowy roads and 31 on wet roads.

Analysis of the 717 people involved in crashes shows the 16-20 age group was the most represented, with 142 individuals, followed by the 45-54 and 65+ age groups, each with 94 individuals. Among the 603 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes were Chevrolet (127 vehicles), Ford (102 vehicles), Toyota (40 vehicles), and Pontiac (40 vehicles).

The leading major cause of crashes recorded was interaction with an animal, accounting for 167 incidents (39.5%). Following this, driver-related actions were most common, including losing control (28 crashes, 6.6%), failing to yield while making a left turn (23 crashes, 5.4%), and driving too fast for conditions (22 crashes, 5.2%).

The most frequent first harmful event was a collision with an animal, documented in 166 crashes, or 39.2% of the total. The second most common event was a collision with another vehicle in traffic, which occurred in 134 incidents (31.7%). Events indicating a vehicle leaving the roadway, such as rollovers (26 crashes) and collisions with a ditch (17 crashes), were also noted.

Crashes were more likely to occur on segments of road away from intersections, with 143 incidents recorded at non-junction locations. Four-way intersections were the most common type of junction for crashes, accounting for 64 incidents, followed by T-intersections with 16 incidents. Driveway access was related to 23 crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 305 of the 603 vehicles (50.6%). Sport utility vehicles (106 vehicles) and light trucks or pickups (95 vehicles) were the next most frequent. Commercial trucks, including tractor-trailers, were involved in 25 incidents, while one crash involved a motorcycle.

A significant majority of crashes occurred where no traffic controls were present, with this category accounting for 310 incidents (69.7% of crashes with traffic control data). Where controls were in place, crashes most frequently occurred at locations with traffic signals (63 incidents) or stop signs (52 incidents).

The front of the vehicle was the most common area of initial damage, reported in 112 instances, indicating a high frequency of frontal collisions. Rear-end collisions are suggested by the 47 vehicles damaged primarily in the rear, while various side impacts were also common, with 37 vehicles damaged on the driver's side middle area.

Within Bremer County, crash distribution was heavily concentrated in Waverly, which recorded 142 crashes. The next most affected municipalities were Denver with 17 crashes, followed by Janesville and Sumner, each with 7 crashes reported in 2015.

The vast majority of crashes, 386 out of 423, occurred on paved roadways. However, a notable 37 crashes, representing 8.7% of the total, took place on unpaved surfaces such as gravel or dirt roads.

In cases where a roadway factor was identified as a contributor, surface conditions such as wet or icy pavement were the most cited issue, noted in 48 crashes. Other roadway factors like ruts, holes, or debris were cited in only a handful of incidents, indicating that most crashes did not have an apparent roadway-related contributing cause.

Among drivers for whom a condition other than 'apparently normal' was noted, medical issues were the most common, cited in 5 cases. Driver fatigue or being asleep was a factor for 4 drivers, and driving under the influence of alcohol was also recorded for 4 drivers. These numbers represent only the small fraction of drivers where a specific condition was documented.

The estimated cost of property damage was most frequently in the $1,500 to $7,500 range, which applied to 330 crashes, or 78% of the total. A smaller number of crashes resulted in more significant damage, with 69 incidents falling in the $7,500 to $25,000 range and 11 crashes (2.6%) exceeding $25,000 in estimated damages.

The most common type of crash was a non-collision event involving a single vehicle, such as running off the road or an overturn, which accounted for 188 incidents or 44.4% of all crashes. Among multi-vehicle crashes, rear-end collisions were the most frequent, with 54 incidents (12.8%), followed by broadside collisions with 42 incidents (9.9%).

Data on driver actions prior to impact shows that the majority of vehicles (289) were moving straight ahead. The next most common pre-crash action was turning left, which was reported for 52 vehicles. Slowing or stopping was the action for 26 vehicles, and 25 were stopped in traffic at the time of the collision.

Of the 717 individuals involved in crashes, the vast majority were drivers, accounting for 689 people or 96.1% of the total. Passengers made up 22 of the individuals involved, while 3 pedestrians and 3 bicyclists were also recorded.

Across all people involved in crashes, 1 person sustained a fatal injury. An additional 111 people were injured, with 5 classified as serious injuries, 41 as minor injuries, and 65 as possible injuries. The data indicates that 2 individuals involved in injury-crashes were reported to have no injuries.

In the subset of crash participants for whom safety equipment use was documented, 72 individuals were recorded as using a shoulder and lap belt. Twelve individuals were recorded as using no safety equipment, representing 14.3% of those with available data on this measure.

Single-vehicle crashes were the most common scenario, accounting for 254 incidents, or 60.0% of all crashes. Two-vehicle collisions were the next most frequent type, with 160 incidents (37.8%). Crashes involving three or more vehicles were rare, with only 7 three-vehicle and 2 four-vehicle crashes recorded.