Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

115 CRASHES IN
LAWRENCE, MA
DECEMBER 2023

All metrics benchmarked againstDecember 2022

Total crashes in LAWRENCE, MA decreased from 148 in December 2022 to 115 in December 2023, representing a 22.3% reduction year-over-year. The most notable shift was a 200% increase in hit-and-run crashes, rising from 2 incidents to 6. This also led to the hit-and-run rate increasing from 1.4% to 5.2%.

115

-22.3%was 148

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

47

-9.6%was 52

Persons Injured

6

200.0%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 · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall, crashes in LAWRENCE, MA decreased year-over-year, with total incidents falling from 148 in December 2022 to 115 in December 2023. This represents a 22.3% reduction in the total number of crashes. There were no fatalities reported in either period.

6

Hit-and-Run Crashes — December 2023

200.0% vs prior (2)

Hit-and-run crashes increased significantly year-over-year, rising from 2 incidents in December 2022 to 6 incidents in December 2023. This represents a 200% increase in the count of hit-and-run crashes. The hit-and-run rate also increased from 1.4% to 5.2% of total crashes.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Other Killed

Prior: 00.0%

6

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 60.0%

40

Motorists Injured

Prior: 46-13.0%

1

Other Injured

Prior: 0%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The peak day for crashes shifted from Sunday in December 2022, with 28 incidents, to Friday in December 2023, with 29 incidents. The peak hour for crashes remained 5 PM in both periods, although the count decreased from 16 crashes in December 2022 to 13 crashes in December 2023.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Both December 2022 and December 2023 reported zero fatalities. Total injuries decreased from 52 in the prior period to 47 in the current period. Serious injuries (Severity A) decreased from 3 to 2, and minor injuries (Severity B) decreased from 30 to 22, while possible injuries (Severity C) increased from 6 to 11.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury2serious injury crashes1.7%
-33.3%prior 3
Minor Injury22minor injury crashes19.1%
-26.7%prior 30
Possible Injury11possible injury crashes9.6%
83.3%prior 6
No Injury77no injury crashes67%
-28.7%prior 108

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

The leading contributing factor, "No improper driving," decreased by 14 crashes, from 40 to 26. "Failed to yield right of way" saw a 100% increase in count, rising from 7 crashes to 14, becoming the second most frequent factor in December 2023. "Inattention" remained constant at 10 crashes in both periods.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving26 (22.6%)-35.0%prior 40
Failed to yield right of way14 (12.2%)100.0%prior 7
Inattention10 (8.7%)0.0%prior 10
Distracted6 (5.2%)0.0%prior 6
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings6 (5.2%)0.0%prior 6
Followed too closely5 (4.3%)-44.4%prior 9
Other improper action4 (3.5%)-33.3%prior 6
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner3 (2.6%)
Driving too fast for conditions2 (1.7%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (1.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes occurring in clear weather conditions decreased from 88 to 67, while those in rainy conditions increased from 15 to 21. Crashes on dry road surfaces decreased by 33, from 117 to 84, while crashes on wet road surfaces increased by 12, from 19 to 31. Crashes under dark-lighted roadway conditions decreased from 75 to 49.

Weather

Clear67 (58.3%)
-23.9%prior 88
Rain21 (18.3%)
40.0%prior 15
Cloudy14 (12.2%)
-6.7%prior 15
Clear/Clear7 (6.1%)
-46.2%prior 13
Rain/Cloudy3 (2.6%)
Rain/Rain1 (0.9%)
Cloudy/Rain1 (0.9%)
Other1 (0.9%)

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

Lighting

Daylight55 (47.8%)
-8.3%prior 60
Dark - lighted roadway49 (42.6%)
-34.7%prior 75
Dark - roadway not lighted6 (5.2%)
-14.3%prior 7
Dawn2 (1.7%)
Dusk2 (1.7%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (0.9%)

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

Road Surface

Dry84 (73.0%)
-28.2%prior 117
Wet31 (27.0%)
63.2%prior 19

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The total number of vehicles involved in crashes decreased from 305 in December 2022 to 230 in December 2023. HONDA remained the top vehicle make involved, though its count decreased from 86 to 71, while TOYOTA remained stable at 32 vehicles. The 16-20 age group saw the largest decrease in persons involved, dropping from 52 to 31.

Top Vehicle Makes (230 vehicles)

1
HONDA71 (30.9%)
-17.4%prior 86
2
TOYOTA32 (13.9%)
0.0%prior 32
3
CHEVROLET22 (9.6%)
37.5%prior 16
4
FORD16 (7%)
-42.9%prior 28
5
JEEP14 (6.1%)
-17.6%prior 17
6
ACURA13 (5.7%)
0.0%prior 13
7
GMC6 (2.6%)
8
LEXUS5 (2.2%)
9
MAZDA5 (2.2%)
10
NISSAN5 (2.2%)
-72.2%prior 18

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

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

Sex Distribution (291 persons with recorded sex)

Male164 (56.4%)
-20.8%prior 207
Female127 (43.6%)
-15.9%prior 151

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Crashes in 30 mph zones, which accounted for the most incidents in both periods, decreased from 116 to 98. There was a notable decrease in crashes in 25 mph zones, falling from 11 to 2. Conversely, crashes in 65 mph zones increased from 3 to 6, and no fatal crashes were reported in any speed zone for either period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-12-01 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: 2023-12-01 through 2023-12-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2023-12-01 through 2023-12-31 (31 days)
  • Geographic scope: LAWRENCE, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 115
  • Total persons involved: 338
  • Total vehicles involved: 230

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). "LAWRENCE, MA Crash Intelligence Report: December 2023." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/lawrence/december-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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Lawrence, MA Crash Report — December 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com