944 CRASHES IN
MONTGOMERY, MD
JANUARY 2020

All 3 traffic fatalities recorded during this period were pedestrians. In addition to the fatalities, 49 pedestrians were injured. While no motorists were killed, 315 sustained injuries. There were no cyclist fatalities, but 6 cyclists were injured in collisions.

Crashes occurred most frequently on Fridays, with 190 incidents recorded. The single busiest hour for crashes was the 6 p.m. hour, with 79 incidents, aligning with the evening commute period which saw elevated crash counts from 3 p.m. onward. While 52.5% of crashes (496) happened in daylight, a substantial number, 330 crashes, occurred after dark on lighted roadways.

The majority of crashes, 66.5% (628 incidents), resulted in no injuries and involved only property damage. The remaining 33.5% of crashes involved some level of injury, including 180 with possible injuries, 111 with minor injuries, and 21 with serious injuries. There were 3 fatal crashes recorded, resulting in 3 fatalities; in some incidents, the number of fatalities can exceed the number of fatal crashes.

The most frequently cited contributing factors were related to environmental conditions. The top factor was a combination of 'RAIN, SNOW, WET,' listed in 63 crashes (6.7%). This was followed by 'N/A, WET,' which was a factor in 62 crashes (6.6%). Other prevalent factors also involved inclement weather, such as 'ICY OR SNOW-COVERED, RAIN, SNOW,' which was cited in 11 crashes.

A majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 583 (61.8%) in clear weather, 609 (64.5%) on dry road surfaces, and 496 (52.5%) during daylight hours. However, adverse conditions were also present in a significant number of incidents. Crashes in the rain accounted for 115 incidents, while 183 crashes occurred on wet roads and 17 on roads with ice or frost.

The most common vehicle makes involved in collisions were Toyota (228 vehicles), Honda (186), and Ford (152). The data also includes numerous variations and abbreviations of manufacturer names, such as 'TOYT' (80 vehicles) and 'HOND' (57 vehicles), which also featured prominently in crash reports. The dataset did not contain sufficient information to analyze driver age demographics.

In crashes where fault was assigned to a specific party, a driver was determined to be at fault in 880 cases. By contrast, a non-motorist was found to be at fault in 16 instances.

Among crashes occurring at specified intersection types, four-way intersections were the most common location, accounting for 307 incidents. T-intersections were the second most frequent geometry, with 142 crashes reported.

Crashes were more likely to occur at or near a junction than on a non-junction roadway segment. The data shows 328 crashes occurred within an intersection and an additional 110 were classified as intersection-related. This compares to 198 crashes that happened at a non-intersection location.

The most common roadway design where crashes occurred was a two-way, divided road with a positive median barrier, which was the site of 428 crashes. The second most frequent road type was a two-way, undivided road, where 282 crashes were recorded.

The most commonly reported level of vehicle damage was 'Disabling,' which was noted for 613 of the 1,686 vehicles involved in crashes. 'Superficial' damage was reported for 461 vehicles, and 'Functional' damage was noted for 435 vehicles. A total of 80 vehicles were reported as 'Destroyed.'

The data on driver actions primarily reflects environmental conditions rather than specific behaviors. The most cited factor was 'N/A, WET,' attributed to 114 drivers. The second most common entry was 'RAIN, SNOW, WET,' noted for 109 drivers, indicating a strong correlation between reported actions and adverse weather.

Among the 349 drivers for whom a distraction was recorded, the most common was 'Looked but did not see,' reported in 246 cases. 'Inattentive or lost in thought' was the next most frequent distraction with 45 occurrences. Other specified distractions included 'Other distraction' (31) and various forms of cell phone use (9).

The first harmful event for the vast majority of crashes was a collision with another motor vehicle, which occurred in 653 incidents (69.2% of all crashes). The second most common first event was striking a fixed object (117 crashes), followed by striking a parked vehicle (72 crashes).

The front of the vehicle ('Twelve O'clock') was the most frequent point of impact, accounting for 690 vehicles, or 40.9% of all impacts recorded. The rear of the vehicle ('Six O'clock') was the second most common impact point, involved in 345 instances (20.5%).

The most common action for vehicles immediately before a crash was 'Moving at a constant speed,' which was reported for 676 of the 1,686 vehicles involved (40.1%). The next most frequent actions were 'Slowing or stopping' (240 vehicles) and being 'Stopped in traffic lane' (182 vehicles).

For the 55 pedestrians involved in crashes, 'No improper actions' was the most common finding, reported in 33 cases. Where improper actions were noted, 'Failure to yield right of way' and 'In roadway improperly' were each cited in 6 instances. 'Dart/dash' and 'Inattentive' were each recorded for 4 pedestrians.

Same-direction rear-end collisions were the most common type of crash, accounting for 249 incidents (26.4% of the total). Single-vehicle crashes were the second most frequent type with 165 incidents (17.5%), followed closely by straight movement angle collisions at 162 incidents (17.2%).

A large portion of crashes, 406 out of 944 (43.0%), occurred at locations with no traffic controls. For crashes at controlled locations, 274 occurred where a traffic signal was present, and 70 occurred at a stop sign.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, representing 1,190 of the 1,686 vehicles (70.6%). Sport Utility Vehicles were the second most frequent type with 176 vehicles involved. Various commercial vehicles, including buses, medium/heavy trucks, and light trucks, accounted for at least 112 of the vehicles in collisions.

Of the 1,751 people involved in crashes, 1,377 (78.6%) were not injured. Among the 374 people who were injured, 22 sustained serious injuries and 3 sustained fatal injuries. Combined, fatal and serious injuries accounted for 1.4% of all individuals involved in crashes.

Two-vehicle collisions were the most common scenario, accounting for 573 of the 944 total crashes (60.7%). Single-vehicle crashes represented 30.9% of incidents (292 crashes). The remaining crashes involved three or more vehicles, with one incident involving as many as 6 vehicles.