433 CRASHES IN
IOWA, IA
2015

Motor vehicle occupants comprised the vast majority of those killed or injured, with 5 motorists killed and 94 injured. There were no fatalities involving pedestrians or bicyclists in 2015. However, 3 pedestrians and 3 bicyclists sustained injuries in traffic collisions.

Crashes occurred most frequently on Tuesdays, which saw a total of 75 incidents. The most common time for a crash was during the afternoon commute, with the peak hour being 4 p.m., when 33 crashes occurred. While more crashes happened during daylight hours (205), a significant number also took place in darkness (110).

The vast majority of crashes, 347 out of 433 (80.1%), resulted in no injuries. There were 82 crashes that involved some level of injury, including 7 with serious injuries, 30 with minor injuries, and 45 with possible injuries. A total of 4 crashes were classified as fatal, which resulted in 5 total fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 4 fatal crash events resulted in 5 persons killed.

Collisions with animals were the leading contributing factor, cited in 101 crashes (23.3%). Running off a straight road was the second most common factor, accounting for 63 crashes (14.5%). Other frequently cited factors included losing control (39 crashes), driving too fast for conditions (33 crashes), and following too closely (23 crashes).

A plurality of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 200 incidents happening in clear weather and 194 on dry road surfaces. Most crashes, 205 in total, also took place during daylight hours. However, adverse conditions were also a factor, with 42 crashes occurring in snow, 33 on icy roads, and 110 in dark or unlit conditions.

The analysis of persons involved in crashes shows that younger individuals are most represented, with 107 people in the 21-25 age group and 105 in the 16-20 age group. Among vehicle makes, Ford was the most frequent, with 122 vehicles involved in collisions. This was followed by Chevrolet, which was listed as both 'Chevrolet' (65 vehicles) and 'CHEV' (49 vehicles).

The leading major cause identified in crashes was an animal, accounting for 101 incidents. Running off a straight road was the second-most cited cause with 63 crashes, followed by losing control (39 crashes). Driving too fast for conditions (33 crashes) and following too closely (23 crashes) were also significant contributing causes.

The most frequent first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in traffic, which occurred in 124 crashes. The second-most common event was a collision with an animal, recorded in 100 incidents. Run-off-road events were also prevalent, including 53 collisions with cable barriers and 31 overturns or rollovers.

The majority of crashes, 241 in total, occurred on non-intersection road segments. Collisions at intersections were less frequent, with 50 incidents at four-way intersections and 10 at T-intersections. Overall, crashes at driveway access points, interchange ramps, and other junction types were comparatively rare.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 273 vehicles. Light trucks and pickups were the second-most common with 117 vehicles, followed by 86 sport utility vehicles. Notably, 59 tractor/semi-trailers were involved in collisions, representing a significant portion of the vehicle fleet.

The vast majority of vehicles involved in crashes, 432 in total, were at locations with no traffic controls present. For crashes where traffic controls were a factor, stop signs were the most common, present for 44 vehicles. All other forms of control, such as yield signs (6) and traffic signals (3), were far less frequent.

Frontal impacts were the most common, with 125 vehicles sustaining primary damage to the front. Rear impacts were the next most frequent, recorded on 48 vehicles, which corresponds to the number of rear-end collisions. Damage to the front corners (85 vehicles combined) and sides was also frequently reported.

Driver impairment was suspected or confirmed in 19 crashes, representing 4.4% of all collisions. Of these, alcohol was the sole factor in 15 incidents. An additional 3 crashes involved a combination of alcohol and drugs, while 1 crash was attributed to drugs alone.

Within Cedar County, the city of Tipton recorded the highest number of crashes with 54. The towns of West Branch and Durant followed, each with 12 crashes. Other municipalities, including Lowden (7 crashes) and Stanwood (5 crashes), reported fewer incidents.

The vast majority of crashes, 382 incidents, occurred on paved roadways. A notable minority of 48 crashes, representing approximately 11% of the total, took place on unpaved surfaces like gravel or dirt roads. This highlights the role of the county's secondary road network in traffic incidents.

Adverse surface conditions, such as wet or icy pavement, were the most commonly cited roadway factor, contributing to 70 crashes. Other roadway-related factors were much less common but included debris on the road (6 crashes) and traffic backups from prior incidents (5 crashes). For most crashes, no specific roadway factor was identified.

Among drivers where a specific condition was noted, being asleep or fatigued was a factor for 11 drivers, equal to the 11 drivers noted as being under the influence of alcohol. Less common conditions included illness or fainting (4 drivers) and being under the influence of drugs or medication (3 drivers). These figures do not include the majority of drivers who were listed as 'apparently normal'.

The most common estimated property damage cost was in the $1,500 to $7,500 range, which was assigned to 300 crashes. A significant number of incidents resulted in higher costs, with 100 crashes causing between $7,500 and $25,000 in damage. Severe damage, estimated at over $25,000, was recorded for 25 crashes.

Single-vehicle crashes, often involving a vehicle running off the road, were the predominant manner of collision, accounting for 229 incidents (52.9%). Among crashes involving multiple vehicles, rear-end collisions were the most common type with 58 occurrences. This was followed by same-direction sideswipes (39) and broadside collisions (35).

The vast majority of vehicles involved in collisions, 380 in total, were moving straight ahead prior to the event. Other common pre-crash actions included slowing or stopping, which was the case for 23 vehicles, and turning left, for 22 vehicles. An additional 34 vehicles were struck while legally parked.

Of the 720 individuals involved in traffic crashes, 691 were drivers of motor vehicles. Passengers accounted for a much smaller group of 23 people. The remaining individuals were vulnerable road users, including 3 pedestrians and 3 bicyclists.

Across all persons involved in crashes, 5 suffered fatal injuries and 100 sustained non-fatal injuries. Among the injured, 10 were classified as serious, 35 as minor, and 55 as possible injuries. These figures highlight the human toll of the 433 crashes recorded.

Based on a subset of crash reports where equipment use was documented, 71 occupants were recorded as using a shoulder and lap belt. In contrast, 8 occupants were noted as having used no safety equipment. This data is not comprehensive for all occupants but indicates patterns where information was available.

Single-vehicle crashes were the most common incident type, accounting for 264 crashes, or 61% of the total. Two-vehicle collisions were the next most frequent, with 162 occurrences. Crashes involving three or more vehicles were uncommon, with only 7 such events recorded in total.