159 CRASHES IN
IOWA, IA
2015

In 2015, all recorded fatalities and injuries in Wright County involved motor vehicle occupants. One motorist was killed and 52 were injured. There were no pedestrian or cyclist fatalities or injuries reported in the crash data for this period.

Crashes in Wright County occurred most frequently on Mondays, which saw 32 incidents in 2015. The single busiest hour for crashes was 9 p.m., with 14 recorded events. While commute hours showed elevated crash numbers, including 12 crashes at 6 a.m. and 13 at 3 p.m., a substantial number of incidents also occurred after dark.

The majority of crashes in Wright County, 75.5% (120 incidents), resulted in no injuries. The remaining 39 crashes involved some level of injury, including 6 serious injury crashes and 18 minor injury crashes. One fatal crash was recorded, which resulted in one fatality.

The most common contributing factor cited in Wright County crashes was "Animal," accounting for 30 incidents, or 18.9% of the total. Following this, "Lost Control" was a factor in 17 crashes (10.7%), and "Driving too fast for conditions" was noted in 10 crashes (6.3%). Failure to yield at an uncontrolled intersection contributed to another 8 crashes.

A majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 54.7% (87 crashes) happening in clear weather and 52.8% (84 crashes) during daylight hours. Similarly, 51.6% of incidents (82 crashes) were on dry road surfaces. Adverse road conditions were a factor in a notable number of crashes, with 14 incidents on icy or frosty surfaces and another 14 on wet roads.

Among the 295 people involved in crashes, the 16-20 and 26-34 age groups were the most represented, each with 45 individuals. An analysis of the 241 vehicles involved shows Chevrolet was the most frequent make with 61 vehicles, followed by Ford with 41 and Dodge with 26.

The leading major cause identified in crashes was "Animal," cited in 30 incidents. This was followed by "Lost Control" in 17 crashes and "Driving too fast for conditions" in 10 crashes. Failure to yield was also a prominent factor, with 8 crashes attributed to failing to yield at an uncontrolled intersection and 7 to failing to yield from a stop sign.

The most common first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in traffic, which occurred in 59 crashes. The second most frequent event was a collision with an animal, accounting for 30 incidents. Crashes involving leaving the roadway were also common, including 19 collisions with a ditch and 10 overturns or rollovers.

A majority of crashes, 73 incidents, occurred on non-junction road segments. In contrast, 43 crashes happened at intersections, with four-way intersections being the most common type, accounting for 31 of these incidents. An additional 10 crashes were related to driveway access.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, with 102 units recorded. Light trucks and pickups were the next most frequent with 47 vehicles, followed closely by sport utility vehicles with 42. Commercial vehicles and motorcycles represented a smaller share, with 5 tractor-trailers and 2 motorcycles involved in crashes.

The vast majority of incidents, 159 crashes, occurred where no traffic controls were present. Stop signs were the most common form of traffic control noted in crashes where one was present, being a factor in 25 incidents. Traffic signals were present in 6 crashes.

Frontal impacts were the most common area of damage, recorded on 38 vehicles. Angle collisions involving the side of a vehicle were also frequent, with damage to the driver-side middle (19 vehicles) and passenger-side front (20 vehicles) being prominent. Damage to the rear of the vehicle was noted in 15 cases.

Within Wright County, the highest volume of crashes was recorded in Clarion, with 40 incidents. The city of Belmond followed with 29 crashes, and Eagle Grove had 25. Other municipalities like Dows and Woolstock reported 6 and 5 crashes, respectively.

The data indicates that crashes occurred on both paved and unpaved surfaces. Of the incidents where road surface type was specified, 16 crashes, or approximately 10.1%, took place on unpaved gravel or dirt roads. The remaining 142 crashes occurred on paved roadways.

Among roadway-related contributing factors, adverse surface conditions such as wet or icy pavement were the most cited, contributing to 19 crashes. Other factors like roadway obstructions, shoulder issues, and work zones were each noted in only one crash, indicating they were infrequent contributors.

In cases where a driver's condition was noted as something other than normal, driving under the influence of alcohol was the most frequent, recorded for 9 drivers. Other documented conditions included being emotional (2 drivers), asleep or fatigued (1 driver), and having a medical condition (1 driver). These numbers represent only the instances where a specific condition was officially recorded.

Property damage was estimated in 159 crashes, with the most common cost band being $1,500 to $7,500, which applied to 115 incidents. A smaller number of crashes resulted in higher damage, with 37 estimated between $7,500 and $25,000, and 4 crashes causing damage estimated at over $25,000.

Single-vehicle crashes, categorized as non-collisions, were the most frequent type of incident, accounting for 64 crashes or 40.3% of the total. Among multi-vehicle crashes, broadside (front-to-side) collisions were the most common, with 22 incidents (13.8%). Rear-end collisions were also notable, occurring in 15 crashes (9.4%).

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was "Movement essentially straight," recorded for 126 vehicles. A notable number of incidents, 23, involved a legally parked vehicle. Turning left was the third most frequent action, documented for 19 vehicles immediately prior to a collision.

Of the 295 individuals involved in crashes, the vast majority, 286 people, were drivers. Passengers accounted for the remaining 9 individuals. No other person types, such as pedestrians or cyclists, were recorded in the data for this period.

Across all 295 people involved in crashes, there was 1 fatality and a total of 52 injuries. The injuries were distributed as 6 serious, 25 minor, and 21 possible injuries. The data shows that the majority of people involved in crashes did not sustain a recorded injury.

For the small subset of crash participants where safety equipment use was documented, 38 individuals were recorded as using a shoulder and lap belt. Six individuals were recorded as using no safety equipment, representing 13.6% of those with known usage data.

Crashes in Wright County were almost evenly split between single-vehicle and two-vehicle incidents. Two-vehicle crashes were slightly more common, with 82 incidents recorded, while single-vehicle crashes accounted for the remaining 77 incidents. No crashes involving three or more vehicles were reported.