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 · BALTIMORE, MARYLAND · 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/maryland/fatal/baltimore/2023-annual-report
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
40 CRASHES IN
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
2023
Baltimore experienced an increase in fatal crashes and fatalities from 2022 to 2023. Fatal crashes rose by 17.65%, from 34 in 2022 to 40 in 2023, while total fatalities increased by 17.14%, from 35 to 41. The most notable shift was an 83.33% increase in pedestrian fatalities, rising from 12 in 2022 to 22 in 2023.
40
▲ 17.6%was 34
Total Crash Events
41
▲ 17.1%was 35
Persons Killed
32
▲ 18.5%was 27
Persons Injured
11
▲ 57.1%was 7
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (41) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (40) 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 · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in Baltimore increased by 17.65% year-over-year, rising from 34 fatal crashes in 2022 to 40 in 2023. Correspondingly, the number of fatalities also saw an increase of 17.14%, from 35 fatalities in 2022 to 41 in 2023, indicating an upward trend in fatal crash incidents.
11
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▲ 57.1% vs prior (7)
Hit-and-run fatal crashes increased by 57.14% year-over-year, rising from 7 incidents in 2022 to 11 in 2023. The rate of hit-and-run incidents among all fatal crashes also increased, from 20.6% in 2022 to 27.5% in 2023.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
22
Pedestrians Killed
1
Cyclists Killed
17
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
3
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
29
Motorists Injured
0
Other Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The temporal patterns for fatal crashes shifted between 2022 and 2023. While 2022 saw peak fatal crashes on Thursdays and Saturdays, 2023 experienced the highest number of fatal crashes on Fridays and Sundays. Peak hours for fatal crashes also shifted from 2 AM and 11 PM in 2022 to 5 PM, 6 PM, and 9 PM in 2023, suggesting a change in the times when fatal crashes are most frequent.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions increased from 19 in 2022 to 24 in 2023, while those in rainy conditions increased from 3 to 4. Fatal crashes in daylight conditions also increased from 15 in 2022 to 17 in 2023, with those in dark but lighted conditions seeing a slight increase from 17 to 18.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
The top vehicle makes involved in fatal crashes saw some changes, with Honda decreasing from 10 instances in 2022 to 8 in 2023, while Chevrolet increased from 5 to 8. The age group 26-34 experienced a decrease in persons involved in fatal crashes from 27 in 2022 to 15 in 2023, whereas the 45-54 age group saw an increase from 11 to 17 persons.
Top Vehicle Makes (57 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
8 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (96 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes occurring in 30 mph speed zones increased from 11 in 2022 to 17 in 2023, and those in 25 mph zones rose from 5 to 13. Conversely, fatal crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 7 in 2022 to 2 in 2023, indicating a shift towards fatal crashes occurring in lower posted speed limit areas.
Fatal crashes by zone: 5 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 10 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 15 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 25 mph: 13 of 13 (100%) · 30 mph: 17 of 17 (100%) · 35 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 40 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 50 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 55 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 70 mph: 1 of 1 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of fatal collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' increasing from 27 fatal crashes in 2022 to 28 in 2023. Angle collisions also increased, from 4 in 2022 to 7 in 2023, while front-to-rear collisions rose from 1 to 3.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The '4-door sedan, hardtop' remained the most frequent vehicle body type in fatal crashes, with 19 instances in both 2022 and 2023. Fatal crashes involving 'Compact Utility' vehicles decreased from 9 in 2022 to 6 in 2023. The involvement of 'Two Wheel Motorcycles' remained stable, with 4 fatal crashes in both years.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 17 reported. 8 additional (8 total) not shown: Utility station wagon (includes suburban limousines, Suburban, Travellall, Grand Wagoneer), Large utility (ANSI D16.1 Utility Vehicle Categories and "Full Size" and "Large"), Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Off-road Motorcycle, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Transit Bus (City Bus), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), Unenclosed Three Wheel Motorcycle / Unenclosed Autocycle (1 Rear Wheel).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Roadway Functional Class
Fatal crashes on 'Other Principal Arterial' roads increased from 15 in 2022 to 21 in 2023. In contrast, fatal crashes on 'Interstate' roads decreased from 7 in 2022 to 3 in 2023, and 'Minor Arterial' fatal crashes decreased from 8 to 7.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
Fatal crashes on roadways owned by 'City or Municipal Highway Agency' increased from 23 in 2022 to 29 in 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes on roads owned by 'State Highway Agency' decreased from 11 in 2022 to 10 in 2023.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
The number of pedestrians involved in fatal crashes increased significantly from 13 in 2022 to 25 in 2023. Conversely, passengers involved in fatal crashes decreased from 32 in 2022 to 22 in 2023, while the number of drivers remained stable, increasing slightly from 54 to 55.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
Fatalities (K) increased from 35 in 2022 to 41 in 2023, and serious injuries (A) rose from 6 to 11. Conversely, possible injuries (C) decreased from 15 to 12, and the number of persons with no reported injury (O) decreased from 43 to 31.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons reported using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt' decreased from 56 in 2022 to 41 in 2023. The count of persons with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 22 in 2022 to 20 in 2023.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' remained the most common point of impact in fatal crashes, although its count decreased from 37 in 2022 to 33 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving a '6 Clock Point' impact increased from 4 in 2022 to 6 in 2023.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 3 smaller categories (4 records): 9 Clock Point (2), Non-Collision (1), 10 Clock Point (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 18 in 2022 to 22 in 2023, while two-vehicle fatal crashes also increased from 9 to 15. Conversely, fatal crashes involving four vehicles decreased from 4 in 2022 to 1 in 2023.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · 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: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
- Geographic scope: Baltimore, Maryland
- Total crash records analyzed: 40
- Total persons involved: 104
- 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). "Baltimore, Maryland Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/maryland/fatal/baltimore/2023-annual-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: 2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
Someone you love in this data? We’ll help you find out if you have a case.
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