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 · MAINE · 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/maine/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
19 CRASHES IN
MAINE
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, Maine experienced 19 fatal crashes, resulting in 21 fatalities and 6 injuries. This compares to September 2022, which saw 12 fatal crashes, 13 fatalities, and 9 injuries. The most notable year-over-year shift was an increase of 7 fatal crashes and 8 fatalities.
19
▲ 58.3%was 12
Total Crash Events
21
▲ 61.5%was 13
Persons Killed
6
▼ -33.3%was 9
Persons Injured
19
▲ 58.3%was 12
Fatal Crash Events
Note: "Persons Killed" (21) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (19) 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
The overall trend for September shows an increase in fatal crashes and fatalities year-over-year. Fatal crashes rose from 12 in September 2022 to 19 in September 2023, and fatalities increased from 13 to 21 during the same period.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
1
Pedestrians Killed
19
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
6
Motorists Injured
0
Other 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, with 4 fatal crashes in September 2022, to Thursday, with 6 fatal crashes in September 2023. The peak hour for fatal crashes also shifted, from 1 p.m. with 3 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 4 p.m. with 3 fatal crashes in September 2023.
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 increased from 8 in September 2022 to 15 in September 2023, while cloudy and rainy conditions each remained stable with 2 fatal crashes. Fatal crashes in daylight conditions increased from 9 to 13, and those in dark, unlighted conditions increased from 1 to 4. Road surface conditions data was not available for comparison.
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 (28 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Sex Distribution (36 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 in 35 mph zones increased from 1 in September 2022 to 3 in September 2023, and those in 45 mph zones increased from 1 to 5. Fatal crashes in 50 mph zones also rose from 1 to 3, while 55 mph zones saw a decrease from 3 to 2. A fatal crash in a 70 mph zone was recorded in September 2023, compared to none in the prior period.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 35 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 40 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 45 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 50 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 55 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 70 mph: 1 of 1 (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,' which increased from 7 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 12 in September 2023. 'Angle' collisions remained stable at 3 fatal crashes, while 'Front-to-Front' collisions increased from 1 to 3. 'Front-to-Rear' collisions were recorded with 1 fatal crash in the current period, compared to 'Other' with 1 fatal crash in the prior period.
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 number of fatal crashes involving 'Compact Utility' vehicles increased from 5 in September 2022 to 6 in September 2023, and 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' fatal crashes increased from 3 to 5. Fatal crashes involving '4-door sedan, hardtop' vehicles decreased from 6 to 1. Fatal crashes involving 'Station Wagon' vehicles increased from 1 to 4.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 12 reported. 3 additional (3 total) not shown: ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), 5-door/4-door hatchback.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Rural fatal crashes increased from 7 in September 2022 to 17 in September 2023, representing a substantial majority of fatal crashes in the current period. Urban fatal crashes decreased from 5 to 2. The share of fatal crashes on rural trafficways was 17 out of 19 in September 2023, indicating an elevated rural share.
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 'Local' roads increased from 3 in September 2022 to 5 in September 2023, and 'Major Collector' roads also increased from 3 to 5. Fatal crashes on 'Minor Arterial' roads decreased from 3 to 2. 'Other Principal Arterial' fatal crashes increased from 2 to 3.
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 roadways owned by a 'State Highway Agency' increased from 10 in September 2022 to 14 in September 2023. Fatal crashes on roads owned by a 'Town or Township Highway Agency' increased from 1 to 5. 'City or Municipal Highway Agency' roads had 1 fatal crash in the prior period but none in the current.
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 19 in September 2022 to 28 in September 2023. Passengers involved decreased from 7 to 6, while the number of pedestrians involved remained stable at 1. The 'other' person type was recorded with 1 person in the current period, but not in the prior.
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 persons with fatal (K) injuries increased from 13 in September 2022 to 21 in September 2023. Persons with minor (B) injuries remained stable at 4, while those with possible (C) injuries decreased from 4 to 2. Persons with no (O) injuries increased from 5 to 9, and serious (A) injuries were recorded with 1 person in the prior period but none in the current.
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 recorded as using 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment increased from 6 in September 2022 to 17 in September 2023. The use of 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 17 to 15. 'Lap Belt Only Used' was recorded for 2 persons in the current period, but not in the prior.
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 dominant point of impact was the '12 Clock Point' (front impact), which increased from 7 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 19 in September 2023. The '6 Clock Point' (rear impact) decreased from 2 to 1 fatal crash. 'Non-Collision' impacts also decreased from 2 to 1 fatal crash.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 2 smaller categories (2 records): 11 Clock Point (1), Undercarriage (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 increased from 6 in September 2022 to 11 in September 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 4 to 7. Three-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 2 to 1.
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: Maine
- Total crash records analyzed: 19
- Total persons involved: 36
- Total vehicles involved: 28
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). "Maine 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/maine/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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