Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

86 CRASHES IN
CHELSEA, MA
JANUARY 2023

All metrics benchmarked againstJanuary 2022

In January 2023, Chelsea experienced 86 total crashes, a slight increase from 85 crashes in January 2022, representing a 1.2% rise. The most notable year-over-year shift was a 250% increase in DUI crashes, rising from 2 in the prior period to 7 in the current period.

86

1.2%was 85

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

20

-25.9%was 27

Persons Injured

3

50.0%was 2

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (0) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (0) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities. 3 crashes with unreported severity are not shown in the severity breakdown.

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

Trend Summary

Overall, total crashes in Chelsea remained relatively stable, with a minor increase of 1 crash (1.2%) from 85 in January 2022 to 86 in January 2023. Despite this, total injuries decreased by 25.9%, from 27 to 20, while fatalities remained at zero in both periods.

3

Hit-and-Run Crashes — January 2023

50.0% vs prior (2)

Hit-and-run crashes increased by 1 count, from 2 in January 2022 to 3 in January 2023. This resulted in an increase in the hit-and-run rate from 2.4% to 3.5% of total crashes year-over-year.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 5-80.0%

19

Motorists Injured

Prior: 22-13.6%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-01-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The peak day for crashes shifted from Thursday in January 2022 (15 crashes) to Monday in January 2023 (19 crashes). The peak hour also shifted, with 4 PM having the most crashes in January 2022 (9 crashes) compared to 5 PM in January 2023 (10 crashes).

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

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

Crash Severity Breakdown

There were no fatal crashes in either period. Serious injuries decreased from 3 in January 2022 to 0 in January 2023, while minor injuries decreased from 11 to 5. Conversely, possible injuries increased from 9 in the prior period to 13 in the current period.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Minor Injury5minor injury crashes5.8%
-54.5%prior 11
Possible Injury13possible injury crashes15.1%
44.4%prior 9
No Injury65no injury crashes75.6%
22.6%prior 53

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

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

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

Top Contributing Factors

Crashes attributed to 'No improper driving' increased by 7 counts (33.3%), from 21 in January 2022 to 28 in January 2023. 'Inattention' also saw a significant rise, increasing by 4 counts (400%) from 1 to 5 crashes. Speeding-related crashes, which accounted for 5 crashes in the prior period, decreased to 0 in the current period.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving28 (32.6%)33.3%prior 21
Inattention5 (5.8%)
Other improper action4 (4.7%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner3 (3.5%)
Failed to yield right of way2 (2.3%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (2.3%)
Followed too closely2 (2.3%)
Physical impairment2 (2.3%)
Visibility obstructed2 (2.3%)
Distracted1 (1.2%)

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

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes occurring in 'Clear' weather decreased by 12 counts, from 56 to 44, while those in 'Rain' increased by 10 counts, from 4 to 14. Correspondingly, crashes on 'Wet' road surfaces saw a substantial increase of 18 counts (150%), rising from 12 to 30, suggesting a shift towards more adverse weather-related incidents.

Weather

Clear44 (51.2%)
-21.4%prior 56
Rain14 (16.3%)
Snow11 (12.8%)
22.2%prior 9
Cloudy8 (9.3%)
33.3%prior 6
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)2 (2.3%)
Rain/Snow1 (1.2%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)/Severe crosswinds1 (1.2%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (1.2%)
Clear/Cloudy1 (1.2%)
Cloudy/Rain1 (1.2%)

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

Lighting

Dark - lighted roadway45 (52.9%)
28.6%prior 35
Daylight37 (43.5%)
-11.9%prior 42
Dark - roadway not lighted2 (2.4%)
Dusk1 (1.2%)

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

Road Surface

Dry41 (47.7%)
-24.1%prior 54
Wet30 (34.9%)
150.0%prior 12
Snow10 (11.6%)
-16.7%prior 12
Ice3 (3.5%)
Slush2 (2.3%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The total number of vehicles involved in crashes increased slightly from 159 in January 2022 to 164 in January 2023. Toyota became the most frequently involved make, increasing by 7 vehicles from 28 to 35, while Honda, previously the top make, decreased by 2 vehicles from 36 to 34.

Top Vehicle Makes (164 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA35 (21.3%)
25.0%prior 28
2
HONDA34 (20.7%)
-5.6%prior 36
3
FORD19 (11.6%)
-5.0%prior 20
4
NISSAN12 (7.3%)
20.0%prior 10
5
JEEP11 (6.7%)
0.0%prior 11
6
CHEVROLET8 (4.9%)
14.3%prior 7
7
BMW5 (3%)
8
ACURA4 (2.4%)
9
KIA4 (2.4%)
10
MERCEDES-BENZ4 (2.4%)
-20.0%prior 5

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

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

Sex Distribution (173 persons with recorded sex)

Male112 (64.7%)
0.9%prior 111
Female61 (35.3%)
10.9%prior 55

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

Speed Limit Zones

Crashes in the 25 mph speed zone increased slightly from 51 to 53. There was a notable shift in crashes from lower speed zones like 20 mph (decreasing from 6 to 1) and 35 mph (decreasing from 7 to 3) to higher speed zones such as 40 mph (increasing from 3 to 8) and 45 mph (increasing from 3 to 7). No fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone during either period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-01-01 to 2023-01-31 · 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 2023-01-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-01-31 (31 days)
  • Geographic scope: CHELSEA, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 86
  • Total persons involved: 202
  • Total vehicles involved: 164

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

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Chelsea, MA Crash Report — January 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com