Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

56 CRASHES IN
DIGHTON, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Dighton recorded 56 total vehicle crashes, a 22.2% decrease from the 72 crashes reported in 2022. The most significant year-over-year change was the reduction in crash severity, with fatalities dropping from two in 2022 to zero in 2023, and total injuries decreasing from 27 to 13.

56

-22.2%was 72

Total Crash Events

0

-100.0%was 2

Persons Killed

13

-51.9%was 27

Persons Injured

1

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. 1 crash with unreported severity is not shown in the severity breakdown.

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

Traffic crashes in Dighton showed a notable downward trend from 2022 to 2023. Total collisions fell by 22.2%, from 72 to 56. This decrease was accompanied by a significant reduction in harm, as the number of people injured fell from 27 to 13, and fatalities were eliminated entirely, down from two in the prior year.

1

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

1.8% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 2-100.0%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 0%

12

Motorists Injured

Prior: 27-55.6%

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 showed some shifts between the two periods. While Friday remained the peak day for crashes in both 2023 and 2022 with 13 incidents each year, the peak hour for crashes moved later, from 7 p.m. in 2022 (7 crashes) to 8 p.m. in 2023 (6 crashes). The single busiest month also changed, shifting from June in 2022 (14 crashes) to November in 2023 (12 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 significantly decreased in 2023 compared to 2022. There were zero fatal crashes in 2023, down from two in the prior year. The number of serious injury crashes also fell from four in 2022 to one in 2023. Overall, crashes resulting in any level of injury (Serious, Minor, or Possible) decreased from 19 in 2022 to 10 in 2023.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury1serious injury crashes1.8%
-75.0%prior 4
Minor Injury8minor injury crashes14.3%
-11.1%prior 9
Possible Injury1possible injury crashes1.8%
-83.3%prior 6
No Injury45no injury crashes80.4%
-10.0%prior 50

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

While "No improper driving" was the most cited factor in both years, its count increased from 21 in 2022 to 28 in 2023. Conversely, crashes attributed to "Inattention" and "Failed to yield right of way" both saw a sharp decrease in count, from 6 incidents each in 2022 to 2 incidents each in 2023. Crashes involving "Followed too closely" increased in count from 3 in 2022 to 5 in 2023, becoming the second most common contributing factor.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving28 (50%)33.3%prior 21
Followed too closely5 (8.9%)
Inattention2 (3.6%)-66.7%prior 6
Failed to yield right of way2 (3.6%)-66.7%prior 6
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (3.6%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner2 (3.6%)
Made an improper turn1 (1.8%)
Glare1 (1.8%)
Fatigued/asleep1 (1.8%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway1 (1.8%)

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

The conditions under which crashes occurred saw a notable shift in lighting. The proportion of crashes happening in daylight decreased from 66.7% (48 of 72 crashes) in 2022 to 41.1% (23 of 56 crashes) in 2023, indicating a relative increase in crashes during dark or low-light conditions. In contrast, the proportion of crashes occurring in clear weather increased from 68.1% in 2022 to 76.8% in 2023, while the share on dry road surfaces remained stable at approximately 81% to 84%.

Weather

Clear43 (78.2%)
-12.2%prior 49
Cloudy4 (7.3%)
-20.0%prior 5
Rain2 (3.6%)
Snow2 (3.6%)
Rain/Cloudy1 (1.8%)
Clear/Unknown1 (1.8%)
Cloudy/Rain1 (1.8%)
Fog, smog, smoke1 (1.8%)

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

Lighting

Daylight23 (41.8%)
-52.1%prior 48
Dark - lighted roadway18 (32.7%)
-14.3%prior 21
Dark - roadway not lighted7 (12.7%)
Dawn4 (7.3%)
Dusk2 (3.6%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (1.8%)

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

Road Surface

Dry47 (85.5%)
-19.0%prior 58
Wet6 (10.9%)
0.0%prior 6
Snow2 (3.6%)
-75.0%prior 8

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The top vehicle makes involved in crashes showed some consistency, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Nissan appearing in the top ranks for both years. However, Toyota and Jeep, which were involved in 12 and 11 crashes respectively in 2022, were less prominent in 2023. The 16-20 age group represented the largest share of individuals involved in crashes in both 2023 (20.4% of persons) and 2022 (21.9% of persons), though the raw count for this group decreased from 25 to 19.

Top Vehicle Makes (82 vehicles)

1
FORD11 (13.4%)
-15.4%prior 13
2
NISSAN9 (11%)
0.0%prior 9
3
CHEVROLET9 (11%)
0.0%prior 9
4
SUBARU7 (8.5%)
5
HONDA7 (8.5%)
-30.0%prior 10
6
GMC5 (6.1%)
0.0%prior 5
7
HYUNDAI5 (6.1%)
8
TOYOTA5 (6.1%)
-58.3%prior 12
9
ACURA4 (4.9%)
10
DODGE4 (4.9%)

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

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

Sex Distribution (89 persons with recorded sex)

Male51 (57.3%)
-17.7%prior 62
Female38 (42.7%)
-20.8%prior 48

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 different speed zones was largely consistent year-over-year. In both periods, 40 mph zones accounted for the highest number of crashes, with 31 incidents in 2022 and 26 in 2023. The most significant change was the elimination of fatal crashes in these zones; whereas 2022 saw one fatality in a 30 mph zone and one in a 40 mph zone, 2023 recorded zero fatalities across all speed zones.

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: DIGHTON, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 56
  • Total persons involved: 93
  • Total vehicles involved: 82

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). "DIGHTON, 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/dighton/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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Dighton, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com