Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

964 CRASHES IN
MIDDLEBOROUGH, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In Middleborough, a total of 964 vehicle crashes were recorded in 2023, a marginal 0.3% increase from the 961 crashes reported in 2022. While the overall crash volume remained stable, the most notable year-over-year shift was a 67.4% increase in hit-and-run incidents, which rose from 43 to 72.

964

0.3%was 961

Total Crash Events

1

-50.0%was 2

Persons Killed

258

0.4%was 257

Persons Injured

72

67.4%was 43

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. 31 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

The overall trend in traffic crashes in Middleborough was stable year-over-year, with total incidents increasing by only 3, from 961 in 2022 to 964 in 2023. While total injuries remained nearly unchanged (257 in 2022 versus 258 in 2023), the number of fatalities resulting from crashes decreased by half, from 2 to 1.

72

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

67.4% vs prior (43)

Hit-and-run incidents increased significantly, with the total count rising by 67.4% from 43 in 2022 to 72 in 2023. This growth pushed the hit-and-run rate, which measures the percentage of all crashes involving a driver leaving the scene, from 4.5% to 7.5%. The data indicates a clear upward trend for this crash type.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

1

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 0%

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 2-100.0%

6

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 1500.0%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 4-75.0%

251

Motorists Injured

Prior: 2510.0%

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 changes between the two years. The peak day for crashes shifted from Tuesday (149 crashes) in 2022 to Friday (168 crashes) in 2023. The peak hour for collisions remained 5 p.m. in both periods, although the number of crashes during this hour decreased from 103 to 90.

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

The severity of crashes shifted slightly year-over-year, with the number of fatal crashes decreasing from 2 to 1, and the corresponding fatal crash rate falling from 0.21% to 0.1%. The proportion of crashes resulting in serious injury was unchanged at 2.6%. However, crashes involving minor injuries increased as a share of the total, rising from 8.8% to 12.3%, while possible injury crashes declined from 8.3% to 5.9%.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal1fatal crashes0.1%
-50.0%prior 2
Serious Injury25serious injury crashes2.6%
0.0%prior 25
Minor Injury119minor injury crashes12.3%
40.0%prior 85
Possible Injury57possible injury crashes5.9%
-28.7%prior 80
No Injury731no injury crashes75.8%
0.6%prior 727

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

The leading contributing factors to crashes remained consistent, though their order changed. In 2023, "No improper driving" was the most cited factor with 170 incidents, an increase from 152 incidents in 2022 when it was ranked second. "Inattention," the top factor in 2022 with 180 incidents, saw its count decrease to 165 in 2023. Notably, crashes where drivers were cited for exceeding the authorized speed limit saw a 162.5% increase in count, rising from 8 incidents to 21.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving170 (17.6%)11.8%prior 152
Inattention165 (17.1%)-8.3%prior 180
Followed too closely144 (14.9%)5.1%prior 137
Failed to yield right of way130 (13.5%)7.4%prior 121
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road61 (6.3%)56.4%prior 39
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner43 (4.5%)-12.2%prior 49
Distracted26 (2.7%)-21.2%prior 33
Driving too fast for conditions24 (2.5%)-29.4%prior 34
Other improper action24 (2.5%)26.3%prior 19
Exceeded authorized speed limit21 (2.2%)162.5%prior 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 distribution of crashes across different environmental conditions remained largely consistent year-over-year. Crashes in daylight accounted for 68.0% of the total in 2023, a slight increase from 66.5% in 2022. The proportion of incidents occurring on non-dry road surfaces was nearly identical at 21.2% in 2023 versus 21.0% in the prior year. Similarly, crashes during non-clear weather represented 25.5% of the total in 2023, a small decrease from 27.3% in 2022.

Weather

Clear718 (74.9%)
2.7%prior 699
Rain99 (10.3%)
26.9%prior 78
Cloudy80 (8.4%)
-10.1%prior 89
Cloudy/Rain22 (2.3%)
-42.1%prior 38
Snow14 (1.5%)
40.0%prior 10
Rain/Cloudy5 (0.5%)
0.0%prior 5
Rain/Severe crosswinds4 (0.4%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)3 (0.3%)
-57.1%prior 7
Cloudy/Snow2 (0.2%)
Rain/Snow2 (0.2%)

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

Lighting

Daylight655 (68.2%)
2.5%prior 639
Dark - lighted roadway129 (13.4%)
-0.8%prior 130
Dark - roadway not lighted112 (11.7%)
-19.4%prior 139
Dusk38 (4.0%)
40.7%prior 27
Dawn21 (2.2%)
40.0%prior 15
Dark - unknown roadway lighting4 (0.4%)
-33.3%prior 6
Other1 (0.1%)

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

Road Surface

Dry760 (79.2%)
0.1%prior 759
Wet175 (18.2%)
11.5%prior 157
Snow12 (1.3%)
-36.8%prior 19
Ice8 (0.8%)
-20.0%prior 10
Sand, mud, dirt, oil, gravel2 (0.2%)
Water (standing, moving)2 (0.2%)
-66.7%prior 6
Other1 (0.1%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The demographic data for vehicles and persons involved in crashes showed high stability between the two periods. The top three vehicle makes involved in collisions—Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet—retained their rankings, although the number of Fords involved decreased from 230 to 197. The age distribution of all persons involved also remained consistent, with the 26-34 age group being the most represented in both years, accounting for 362 individuals in 2022 and 345 in 2023.

Top Vehicle Makes (1,666 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA244 (14.6%)
-3.6%prior 253
2
FORD197 (11.8%)
-14.3%prior 230
3
CHEVROLET170 (10.2%)
-1.7%prior 173
4
HONDA143 (8.6%)
17.2%prior 122
5
NISSAN119 (7.1%)
0.0%prior 119
6
JEEP97 (5.8%)
19.8%prior 81
7
GMC73 (4.4%)
28.1%prior 57
8
HYUNDAI58 (3.5%)
-22.7%prior 75
9
DODGE49 (2.9%)
2.1%prior 48
10
KIA43 (2.6%)
-12.2%prior 49

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

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

Sex Distribution (1,937 persons with recorded sex)

Male1,153 (59.5%)
4.3%prior 1,105
Female784 (40.5%)
-5.4%prior 829

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 speed limit zones showed minor year-over-year shifts. Crashes in 25 mph zones, the most common location, decreased from 242 to 227 incidents, while crashes in 45 mph zones also fell from 153 to 140. The single fatal crash in 2023 occurred in a 35 mph zone, whereas the two fatal crashes in 2022 occurred in 45 mph and 65 mph zones.

Fatal crashes by zone: 35 mph: 1 of 151 (0.662%)

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: MIDDLEBOROUGH, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 964
  • Total persons involved: 2,115
  • Total vehicles involved: 1,666

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). "MIDDLEBOROUGH, 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/middleborough/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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Middleborough, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com