Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · KANSAS · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/kansas/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
39 CRASHES IN
KANSAS
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, Kansas experienced 39 fatal crashes, an increase of 5.41% compared to 37 fatal crashes in September 2022. Total fatalities also rose from 39 to 41, a 5.13% increase. The most notable shift was a significant rise in serious injuries (K-A-B-C scale 'A') from 3 in the prior period to 11 in the current period.
39
▲ 5.4%was 37
Total Crash Events
41
▲ 5.1%was 39
Persons Killed
18
▲ 38.5%was 13
Persons Injured
2
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (41) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (39) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in Kansas increased by 5.41% year-over-year, rising from 37 in September 2022 to 39 in September 2023. Concurrently, total fatalities saw a 5.13% increase, from 39 to 41 during the same period. This indicates an upward trend in fatal crash incidents and associated deaths.
2
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
5.1% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
5
Pedestrians Killed
3
Cyclists Killed
33
Motorists Killed
1
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
17
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Saturday in September 2022 to Friday in September 2023, both recording 10 fatal crashes. The peak hour also changed significantly, with September 2022 seeing its peak at 7 AM (5 fatal crashes) while September 2023 experienced its peak at 7 PM (5 fatal crashes).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions decreased from 9 in the prior period to 6 in the current period, while those in rainy conditions increased from 2 to 6. There was also an increase in fatal crashes occurring in dark conditions, with 'Dark - Lighted' rising from 4 to 8 and 'Dark - Not Lighted' increasing from 5 to 8. Additionally, severe crosswinds were noted in 2 fatal crashes in the current period, not appearing in the prior period's top conditions.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Top Vehicle Makes (57 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
2 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (95 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes occurring in 65 mph zones increased from 8 in September 2022 to 9 in September 2023, and those in 70 mph zones rose from 3 to 4. Notably, 2 fatal crashes occurred in 75 mph zones in the current period, a speed limit not present in the prior period's fatal crash data. Conversely, fatal crashes in 55 mph zones slightly decreased from 10 to 9.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 30 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 35 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 40 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 45 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 50 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 55 mph: 9 of 9 (100%) · 60 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 65 mph: 9 of 9 (100%) · 70 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 75 mph: 2 of 2 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' though its count decreased from 29 in September 2022 to 24 in September 2023. 'Angle' collisions showed an increase, rising from 6 fatal crashes in the prior period to 10 in the current period. 'Front-to-Front' collisions also appeared in the current period with 2 fatal crashes, not present in the prior period's data.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The most common vehicle body type involved in fatal crashes in both periods was '4-door sedan, hardtop,' increasing from 11 in September 2022 to 19 in September 2023. Light Pickups also saw an increase from 10 to 13. Conversely, fatal crashes involving 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' decreased from 5 in the prior period to 2 in the current period.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 15 reported. 6 additional (6 total) not shown: Unknown body type, 5-door/4-door hatchback, ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), School Bus, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
In September 2023, rural areas accounted for 22 fatal crashes, a decrease from 24 in the prior period, while urban areas experienced an increase from 13 to 17 fatal crashes. Despite the decrease, rural areas continue to account for a higher number of fatal crashes compared to urban areas in the current period. This elevated rural share is consistent with higher speeds and potentially longer emergency response times.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Fatal crashes on Major Collector roads decreased from 13 in September 2022 to 9 in September 2023, and on Minor Arterial roads from 11 to 7. Interstate roads maintained a consistent 5 fatal crashes across both periods. The 'Other Principal Arterial' class emerged with 9 fatal crashes in the current period, not listed in the prior period's top categories.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
Fatal crashes on State Highway Agency-owned roads increased from 15 in September 2022 to 21 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes on County Highway Agency-owned roads decreased significantly from 14 to 8. Fatal crashes on City or Municipal Highway Agency-owned roads remained relatively stable, increasing slightly from 8 to 9.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes increased from 45 in the prior period to 57 in the current period, while passengers also saw a rise from 18 to 30. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes increased from 5 to 6, and bicyclists from 2 to 3. Overall, the total number of persons involved in fatal crashes increased from 71 to 96.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of fatal injuries (K) increased slightly from 39 in September 2022 to 41 in September 2023. Serious injuries (A) saw a substantial increase, rising from 3 in the prior period to 11 in the current period. Minor injuries (B) decreased from 8 to 4, while possible injuries (C) remained constant at 2.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons reported as using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' increased from 34 in September 2022 to 48 in September 2023. Conversely, the count of persons with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment decreased from 24 to 21. Despite this decrease, 21 persons involved in fatal crashes in the current period were not using safety equipment.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' (front impact) remained the most dominant point of impact, increasing from 20 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 24 in September 2023. Impacts at the '11 Clock Point' also increased from 4 to 7. The '1 Clock Point' remained consistent with 6 fatal crashes in both periods.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 4 smaller categories (6 records): 3 Clock Point (2), 6 Clock Point (2), 7 Clock Point (1), Reported as Unknown (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 28 in September 2022 to 23 in September 2023. In contrast, two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 9 to 14. Notably, there were 2 fatal crashes involving three vehicles in the current period, compared to none in the prior period.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Kansas
- Total crash records analyzed: 39
- Total persons involved: 96
- Total vehicles involved: 57
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Kansas Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/kansas/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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