Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

169 CRASHES IN
GROTON, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In Groton, total vehicle crashes decreased by 10.6% from 189 in 2022 to 169 in 2023. Despite this overall decline in collisions, the most significant year-over-year change was a 34% reduction in the number of people injured, which fell from 50 to 33. There were no fatalities recorded in either period.

169

-10.6%was 189

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

33

-34.0%was 50

Persons Injured

5

25.0%was 4

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. 7 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 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Traffic safety data indicates a downward trend in crashes and injuries in Groton. The total number of crashes fell from 189 in 2022 to 169 in 2023, a decrease of 20 incidents. Similarly, the number of persons injured in these crashes declined by 34%, from 50 individuals in the prior year to 33 in the current year.

5

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

25.0% vs prior (4)

Hit-and-run incidents saw a slight increase between the two periods. The total count of hit-and-run crashes rose from 4 in 2022 to 5 in 2023. As a percentage of all crashes, the hit-and-run rate increased from 2.1% in the prior year to 3.0% in the current year.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

33

Motorists Injured

Prior: 48-31.3%

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 consistency and some change year-over-year. Wednesday remained the peak day for crashes in both 2022 (36 crashes) and 2023 (37 crashes). However, the peak hour for collisions shifted earlier in the day, moving from the 4 p.m. hour in 2022 (19 crashes) to the 2 p.m. hour in 2023 (19 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 saw mixed changes between the two periods, though neither year had any fatal crashes. While the total number of injury-related crashes and persons injured decreased, the number of crashes resulting in a serious injury increased from 1 in 2022 to 4 in 2023. Crashes resulting in minor injuries decreased from 22 to 16, and those with possible injuries fell from 16 to 8.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury4serious injury crashes2.4%
300.0%prior 1
Minor Injury16minor injury crashes9.5%
-27.3%prior 22
Possible Injury8possible injury crashes4.7%
-50.0%prior 16
No Injury134no injury crashes79.3%
-8.2%prior 146

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

Comparing contributing factors, crashes attributed to "Inattention" increased in count from 30 in 2022 to 36 in 2023, making it a more prominent factor. The count for "Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road" also rose from 2 to 10. Conversely, incidents citing "Failed to yield right of way" decreased from 17 in the prior year to 11 in the current year.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving47 (27.8%)-21.7%prior 60
Inattention36 (21.3%)20.0%prior 30
Failed to yield right of way11 (6.5%)-35.3%prior 17
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road10 (5.9%)
Followed too closely10 (5.9%)25.0%prior 8
Driving too fast for conditions7 (4.1%)-22.2%prior 9
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner7 (4.1%)-41.7%prior 12
Distracted5 (3%)-16.7%prior 6
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings3 (1.8%)
Fatigued/asleep3 (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 majority of crashes in both 2022 and 2023 occurred during daylight hours on dry roads under clear skies. There was a notable decrease in crashes under adverse lighting conditions, with incidents on dark, unlit roadways falling from 35 in 2022 to 13 in 2023. Crashes on snow-covered roads also decreased from 11 to 7.

Weather

Clear113 (66.9%)
-13.7%prior 131
Cloudy31 (18.3%)
55.0%prior 20
Snow7 (4.1%)
-36.4%prior 11
Rain4 (2.4%)
-20.0%prior 5
Cloudy/Rain4 (2.4%)
-42.9%prior 7
Rain/Cloudy2 (1.2%)
Snow/Cloudy2 (1.2%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)2 (1.2%)
Clear/Cloudy1 (0.6%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)/Rain1 (0.6%)

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

Lighting

Daylight123 (73.2%)
7.0%prior 115
Dark - lighted roadway18 (10.7%)
-21.7%prior 23
Dark - roadway not lighted13 (7.7%)
-62.9%prior 35
Dusk9 (5.4%)
-30.8%prior 13
Dawn3 (1.8%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting2 (1.2%)

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

Road Surface

Dry132 (78.1%)
-5.7%prior 140
Wet24 (14.2%)
-11.1%prior 27
Snow9 (5.3%)
-18.2%prior 11
Ice3 (1.8%)
-70.0%prior 10
Slush1 (0.6%)

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 three vehicle makes involved in crashes remained consistent: Toyota, Ford, and Honda. The number of Toyotas involved increased from 45 to 57, while Ford and Honda counts remained relatively stable. Analysis of person demographics shows an increase in the number of individuals aged 65 and older involved in crashes, from 41 to 56, while involvement for the 16-20 age group decreased from 69 to 53.

Top Vehicle Makes (279 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA57 (20.4%)
26.7%prior 45
2
FORD42 (15.1%)
-2.3%prior 43
3
HONDA27 (9.7%)
17.4%prior 23
4
CHEVROLET23 (8.2%)
0.0%prior 23
5
SUBARU16 (5.7%)
-30.4%prior 23
6
NISSAN13 (4.7%)
8.3%prior 12
7
DODGE9 (3.2%)
0.0%prior 9
8
GMC9 (3.2%)
12.5%prior 8
9
MAZDA9 (3.2%)
28.6%prior 7
10
BMW9 (3.2%)

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

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

Sex Distribution (329 persons with recorded sex)

Male185 (56.2%)
-6.6%prior 198
Female144 (43.8%)
-17.7%prior 175

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

Crashes appeared to shift toward slightly lower speed zones year-over-year. The number of crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 62 to 51, and those in 40 mph zones dropped from 21 to 14. Meanwhile, crashes in 30 mph zones remained the most frequent, with the count holding steady at 77 in 2022 and 78 in 2023. No fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone in either year.

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: GROTON, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 169
  • Total persons involved: 349
  • Total vehicles involved: 279

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). "GROTON, 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/groton/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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Groton, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com