Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

37 CRASHES IN
GARDNER, MA
MAY 2022

All metrics benchmarked againstMay 2021

Total crashes in Gardner decreased by 5.1% from 39 in May 2021 to 37 in May 2022. The most notable shift was an increase in total fatalities from 0 in May 2021 to 1 in May 2022. Total injuries also increased significantly, from 5 to 10 year-over-year.

37

-5.1%was 39

Total Crash Events

1

Persons Killed

10

100.0%was 5

Persons Injured

3

50.0%was 2

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. 2 crashes with unreported severity are not shown in the severity breakdown.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall, total crashes saw a slight decrease, falling from 39 in May 2021 to 37 in May 2022, representing a 5.1% reduction. However, total injuries doubled from 5 to 10, and fatalities increased from 0 to 1 during the same period, indicating a rise in crash severity.

3

Hit-and-Run Crashes — May 2022

50.0% vs prior (2)

Hit-and-run crashes increased from 2 in May 2021 to 3 in May 2022. Consequently, the hit-and-run rate rose from 5.1% in May 2021 to 8.1% in May 2022, indicating an upward trend.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Motorists Killed

Prior: 0%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 0%

9

Motorists Injured

Prior: 580.0%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · 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 Wednesday with 10 crashes in May 2021 to Thursday with 8 crashes in May 2022. The peak hour also changed, moving from 4 p.m. with 6 crashes in May 2021 to 3 p.m. with 5 crashes in May 2022, suggesting a slight shift in daily crash patterns.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Fatal crashes increased from 0 in May 2021 to 1 in May 2022, resulting in a fatal crash rate of 2.7% in the current period. Minor injury crashes saw an increase in their proportion, rising from 5.1% (2 crashes) to 10.8% (4 crashes) year-over-year. Conversely, crashes with no injury decreased from 82.1% (32 crashes) to 73% (27 crashes).

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal1fatal crashes2.7%
Minor Injury4minor injury crashes10.8%
100.0%prior 2
Possible Injury3possible injury crashes8.1%
0.0%prior 3
No Injury27no injury crashes73%
-15.6%prior 32

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

Crashes attributed to 'Inattention' increased by 6 crashes, from 6 in May 2021 to 12 in May 2022, a 100% increase in count. 'No improper driving' as a factor decreased by 3 crashes, from 10 to 7. 'Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner' also increased by 3 crashes, from 3 to 6, representing a 100% increase in count.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

Inattention12 (32.4%)100.0%prior 6
No improper driving7 (18.9%)-30.0%prior 10
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner6 (16.2%)
Failed to yield right of way2 (5.4%)
Made an improper turn1 (2.7%)
Followed too closely1 (2.7%)-80.0%prior 5
Distracted1 (2.7%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway1 (2.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes occurring in 'Clear' weather conditions saw a slight increase from 29 to 30, while crashes in 'Rain' decreased from 5 to 1. Crashes on 'Dry' road surfaces increased from 32 to 36, and crashes in 'Daylight' conditions decreased from 32 to 27. Conversely, crashes in 'Dark - lighted roadway' conditions increased from 3 to 8.

Weather

Clear30 (81.1%)
3.4%prior 29
Clear/Cloudy4 (10.8%)
Cloudy2 (5.4%)
Rain1 (2.7%)
-80.0%prior 5

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight27 (73.0%)
-15.6%prior 32
Dark - lighted roadway8 (21.6%)
Dark - roadway not lighted1 (2.7%)
Dawn1 (2.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry36 (97.3%)
12.5%prior 32
Wet1 (2.7%)
-83.3%prior 6

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The 65+ age group experienced a decrease in person involvement, falling from 13 in May 2021 to 7 in May 2022. Conversely, the 35-44 age group saw an increase in person involvement, rising from 10 to 14. Among vehicle makes, TOYOTA remained the most frequent, increasing from 11 to 12 vehicles, while CHEVROLET increased from 6 to 10 vehicles involved.

Top Vehicle Makes (69 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA12 (17.4%)
9.1%prior 11
2
CHEVROLET10 (14.5%)
66.7%prior 6
3
FORD9 (13%)
28.6%prior 7
4
HONDA7 (10.1%)
16.7%prior 6
5
SUBARU7 (10.1%)
40.0%prior 5
6
MERCEDES-BENZ2 (2.9%)
7
JEEP2 (2.9%)
8
RAM2 (2.9%)
9
DODGE2 (2.9%)
10
VOLKSWAGEN1 (1.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (63 persons with recorded sex)

Male36 (57.1%)
5.9%prior 34
Female27 (42.9%)
-12.9%prior 31

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

The 30 mph speed limit zone continued to have the highest number of crashes, increasing from 14 in May 2021 to 17 in May 2022. A fatal crash occurred in May 2022 within a 45 mph speed zone, where no fatal crashes were recorded in the prior period. Crashes in the 55 mph zone decreased from 7 to 1 year-over-year.

Fatal crashes by zone: 45 mph: 1 of 1 (100%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31 · 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: 2022-05-01 through 2022-05-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2022-05-01 through 2022-05-31 (31 days)
  • Geographic scope: GARDNER, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 37
  • Total persons involved: 77
  • Total vehicles involved: 69

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). "GARDNER, MA Crash Intelligence Report: May 2022." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2022-05-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/gardner/may-2022-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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Gardner, MA Crash Report — May 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com