Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

141 CRASHES IN
BREWSTER, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Brewster recorded 141 total crashes, representing a 12.8% increase from the 125 crashes reported in 2022. The most significant year-over-year change was the registration of one fatal crash and one fatality in 2023, whereas none were recorded in the prior year. Total injuries also rose from 26 to 30 during this period.

141

12.8%was 125

Total Crash Events

1

Persons Killed

30

15.4%was 26

Persons Injured

0

-100.0%was 5

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (1) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (1) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

The overall trend in traffic collisions shows an increase year-over-year. Total crashes rose by 12.8%, from 125 in 2022 to 141 in 2023. This upward trend is also reflected in the number of people injured, which increased by 15.4% from 26 to 30, and the number of fatalities, which rose from zero to one.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Motorists Killed

Prior: 0%

5

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 366.7%

25

Motorists Injured

Prior: 2119.0%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 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 of crashes shifted between the two years. The most frequent day for collisions moved from Monday (23 crashes) in 2022 to Friday (26 crashes) in 2023. Similarly, the peak hour for crashes shifted from 4 p.m. in the prior year (20 crashes) to 5 p.m. in the current year (16 crashes). July remained the month with the highest number of incidents in both periods, with the count increasing from 21 to 28 crashes.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Crash severity increased in 2023 compared to 2022, with one fatal crash recorded, whereas none occurred in the prior year. The proportion of crashes resulting in any level of injury rose from 16.8% in 2022 to 19.1% in 2023. This included the new appearance of three serious injury crashes in 2023, a category not present in the 2022 data. Consequently, the share of crashes with no reported injuries decreased from 83.2% to 80.9%.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal1fatal crashes0.7%
Serious Injury3serious injury crashes2.1%
Minor Injury17minor injury crashes12.1%
13.3%prior 15
Possible Injury6possible injury crashes4.3%
0.0%prior 6
No Injury114no injury crashes80.9%
9.6%prior 104

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

The ranking of top contributing factors shifted between 2022 and 2023. 'Inattention', the leading factor in 2022 with 34 incidents, saw its count drop to 27 in 2023. 'No improper driving' became the most frequently cited factor in 2023, with its count increasing from 33 to 56 incidents. Crashes attributed to 'Failed to yield right of way' increased from 8 to 12, while those linked to an 'erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive' manner of operation fell from 10 to 6.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving56 (39.7%)69.7%prior 33
Inattention27 (19.1%)-20.6%prior 34
Failed to yield right of way12 (8.5%)50.0%prior 8
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings6 (4.3%)
Fatigued/asleep6 (4.3%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner6 (4.3%)-40.0%prior 10
Followed too closely4 (2.8%)
Distracted4 (2.8%)
Glare2 (1.4%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway2 (1.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

A higher proportion of crashes in 2023 occurred during ideal conditions compared to 2022. The share of crashes in daylight increased from 69.6% to 74.5% of the total, and incidents on dry roads grew from 82.4% to 85.1%. Correspondingly, the proportion of crashes in adverse conditions decreased; for example, incidents on wet roads fell from 14.4% of the total in 2022 to 12.1% in 2023.

Weather

Clear110 (79.1%)
17.0%prior 94
Cloudy15 (10.8%)
36.4%prior 11
Rain6 (4.3%)
20.0%prior 5
Rain/Cloudy2 (1.4%)
Cloudy/Rain2 (1.4%)
-60.0%prior 5
Cloudy/Fog, smog, smoke1 (0.7%)
Cloudy/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (0.7%)
Rain/Blowing sand, snow1 (0.7%)
Cloudy/Snow1 (0.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight105 (74.5%)
20.7%prior 87
Dark - roadway not lighted21 (14.9%)
50.0%prior 14
Dark - lighted roadway9 (6.4%)
-50.0%prior 18
Dark - unknown roadway lighting3 (2.1%)
Dawn2 (1.4%)
Dusk1 (0.7%)
-83.3%prior 6

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry120 (85.1%)
16.5%prior 103
Wet17 (12.1%)
-5.6%prior 18
Sand, mud, dirt, oil, gravel2 (1.4%)
Snow1 (0.7%)
Water (standing, moving)1 (0.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The demographic profile of individuals in crashes changed significantly, as the number of persons in the 65+ age group more than doubled from 41 in 2022 to 84 in 2023. This cohort's share of total persons involved grew from 16.7% to 30.4%. For vehicles, Toyota remained the most common make, with its count increasing from 34 to 50. Ford's involvement was stable at 26 vehicles, while Honda's decreased from 24 to 19.

Top Vehicle Makes (218 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA50 (22.9%)
47.1%prior 34
2
FORD26 (11.9%)
0.0%prior 26
3
HONDA19 (8.7%)
-20.8%prior 24
4
CHEVROLET15 (6.9%)
7.1%prior 14
5
JEEP13 (6%)
6
SUBARU11 (5%)
0.0%prior 11
7
NISSAN10 (4.6%)
66.7%prior 6
8
AUDI7 (3.2%)
9
VOLKSWAGEN7 (3.2%)
10
HYUNDAI6 (2.8%)
-14.3%prior 7

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

3 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.

Sex Distribution (273 persons with recorded sex)

Male140 (51.3%)
4.5%prior 134
Female133 (48.7%)
34.3%prior 99

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

The distribution of crashes across speed zones shifted year-over-year. The 40 mph zone saw an increase from 65 to 87 crashes, growing its share of incidents from 52% to 61.7%. Crashes in 50 mph zones also more than doubled from 6 to 14, while incidents in 30 mph zones decreased from 25 to 16. The single fatal crash recorded in 2023 occurred in a 20 mph zone, which had no fatal crashes the previous year.

Fatal crashes by zone: 20 mph: 1 of 2 (50%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location

Data Sources & Methodology

Primary Data Source

All crash data in this report is sourced from Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), accessed programmatically via the Arcgis_yearly 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: Arcgis_yearly 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: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: BREWSTER, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 141
  • Total persons involved: 276
  • Total vehicles involved: 218

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). "BREWSTER, MA Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/brewster/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

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Brewster, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com