Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

37 CRASHES IN
HARDWICK, MA
2022

All metrics benchmarked against2021

In 2022, Hardwick recorded 37 total traffic crashes, a 68.2% increase from the 22 crashes reported in 2021. This rise was accompanied by a 33.3% increase in total injuries, from 9 to 12, while fatalities remained at zero for both years. The most significant year-over-year change was the overall increase in the number of collisions.

37

68.2%was 22

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

12

33.3%was 9

Persons Injured

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

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Traffic crashes in Hardwick showed a significant upward trend year-over-year. The total number of crashes rose by 68.2%, from 22 in 2021 to 37 in 2022. Similarly, the number of people injured in these incidents increased by 33.3%, from 9 to 12, although no fatalities were recorded in either period.

2

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2022

5.4% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

12

Motorists Injured

Prior: 933.3%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · 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 periods. In 2022, the highest number of crashes occurred on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, with 7 incidents each, a change from 2021 when Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the peak days with 5 crashes each. The peak hour for crashes also moved from the evening commute at 5 p.m. in 2021 (4 crashes) to the morning at 9 a.m. in 2022 (5 crashes).

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

The crash severity profile remained relatively stable year-over-year, with zero fatal crashes recorded in both 2021 and 2022. The number of serious injury crashes held steady at one incident in each period. While the total number of injury-producing crashes increased from 5 in 2021 to 9 in 2022, their proportion of all crashes remained similar, moving from 22.7% in 2021 to 24.3% in 2022.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury1serious injury crashes2.7%
0.0%prior 1
Minor Injury7minor injury crashes18.9%
75.0%prior 4
Possible Injury1possible injury crashes2.7%
No Injury27no injury crashes73%
68.8%prior 16

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

The leading contributing factors saw shifts in both count and ranking between periods. While 'No improper driving' remained the most cited circumstance, its count increased by 133%, from 6 crashes in 2021 to 14 in 2022. Crashes attributed to 'Inattention' tripled in count, rising from 2 to 6 incidents, making it the second most common factor in 2022. Conversely, crashes involving 'Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner' decreased in count from 5 to 4, dropping from the second to the third-ranked factor.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving14 (37.8%)133.3%prior 6
Inattention6 (16.2%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner4 (10.8%)-20.0%prior 5
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings3 (8.1%)
Failed to yield right of way1 (2.7%)
Distracted1 (2.7%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road1 (2.7%)
Over-correcting/over-steering1 (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 · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

In 2022, a larger majority of crashes occurred in ideal conditions compared to the prior year. Crashes in clear weather constituted 83.8% of the total in 2022, up from 68.2% in 2021. Similarly, the proportion of crashes on dry road surfaces increased from 68.2% to 81.1%. Crashes during daylight hours also saw a proportional increase, accounting for 62.2% of incidents in 2022 versus 50% in 2021.

Weather

Clear31 (83.8%)
106.7%prior 15
Cloudy3 (8.1%)
Cloudy/Snow1 (2.7%)
Rain1 (2.7%)
Rain/Cloudy1 (2.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight23 (62.2%)
109.1%prior 11
Dark - roadway not lighted8 (21.6%)
60.0%prior 5
Dark - lighted roadway5 (13.5%)
Dusk1 (2.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry30 (81.1%)
100.0%prior 15
Wet3 (8.1%)
-40.0%prior 5
Sand, mud, dirt, oil, gravel2 (5.4%)
Snow2 (5.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

Top Vehicle Makes (58 vehicles)

1
FORD9 (15.5%)
80.0%prior 5
2
TOYOTA6 (10.3%)
3
HONDA6 (10.3%)
4
SUBARU5 (8.6%)
5
JEEP3 (5.2%)
6
VOLKSWAGEN3 (5.2%)
7
VOLVO3 (5.2%)
8
CHEVROLET2 (3.4%)
9
FRHT2 (3.4%)
10
OT2 (3.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (64 persons with recorded sex)

Male38 (59.4%)
111.1%prior 18
Female26 (40.6%)
73.3%prior 15

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

In both years, the highest number of crashes occurred in the 40 mph speed zone, with incidents increasing from 9 in 2021 to 13 in 2022. The most significant year-over-year increase was seen in the 35 mph zone, which experienced a four-fold rise in crashes from 2 to 8. Overall, crashes increased in most shared speed zones, and no fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone during either period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · 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: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: HARDWICK, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 37
  • Total persons involved: 73
  • Total vehicles involved: 58

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). "HARDWICK, MA Crash Intelligence Report: 2022." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/hardwick/2022-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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Hardwick, MA Crash Report — 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com