Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

82 CRASHES IN
NEWBURY, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Newbury recorded 82 total vehicle crashes, an 18.8% decrease from the 101 crashes recorded in 2022. While overall crashes declined, the number of incidents classified as hit-and-run increased from 1 to 6 year-over-year.

82

-18.8%was 101

Total Crash Events

1

Persons Killed

29

-23.7%was 38

Persons Injured

6

500.0%was 1

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

Trend Summary

Overall crash trends in Newbury show a notable decrease. Total crashes fell by 18.8% from 101 in 2022 to 82 in 2023, and the number of people injured in these incidents decreased by 23.7% from 38 to 29. The number of fatalities remained unchanged, with one fatality recorded in each year.

6

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

500.0% vs prior (1)

Hit-and-run incidents saw a significant year-over-year increase. The number of crashes classified as hit-and-run rose from 1 in 2022 to 6 in 2023. Consequently, the hit-and-run rate as a percentage of all crashes increased from 1.0% to 7.3%.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Motorists Killed

Prior: 10.0%

2

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 0%

27

Motorists Injured

Prior: 38-28.9%

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 timing of crashes shifted between the two periods. In 2023, the peak days for crashes were Thursday and Friday with 15 incidents each, a change from 2022 when Wednesday was the peak day with 19 crashes. The most common crash hour also shifted slightly later, from 4 PM in 2022 (13 crashes) to 5 PM in 2023 (9 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

While total crashes decreased, the proportion of severe crashes increased. The fatal crash rate rose from 0.99% in 2022 to 1.22% in 2023, as the number of fatal crashes held steady at one while total crashes fell. The count of serious injury crashes increased from one to four, representing 4.9% of all crashes in 2023 compared to 1.0% in the prior year.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal1fatal crashes1.2%
0.0%prior 1
Serious Injury4serious injury crashes4.9%
300.0%prior 1
Minor Injury16minor injury crashes19.5%
-23.8%prior 21
Possible Injury2possible injury crashes2.4%
-60.0%prior 5
No Injury57no injury crashes69.5%
-19.7%prior 71

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 were consistent year-over-year, with 'No improper driving' (25 crashes) and 'Inattention' (12 crashes) ranking first and second in 2023, nearly matching their counts from 2022. However, the count of crashes attributed to 'Failure to keep in proper lane' decreased from 11 to 4, while crashes involving 'Driving too fast for conditions' increased in count from 5 to 7.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving25 (30.5%)-3.8%prior 26
Inattention12 (14.6%)0.0%prior 12
Driving too fast for conditions7 (8.5%)40.0%prior 5
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road4 (4.9%)-63.6%prior 11
Fatigued/asleep4 (4.9%)-20.0%prior 5
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway3 (3.7%)
Followed too closely3 (3.7%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner3 (3.7%)-50.0%prior 6
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings2 (2.4%)
Distracted2 (2.4%)

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 proportion of crashes occurring in adverse conditions increased from 2022 to 2023. Crashes on non-dry road surfaces such as wet or snow-covered roads accounted for 36.6% of incidents in 2023, up from 22.8% in 2022. Similarly, the share of crashes happening in dark, unlighted conditions grew from 18.8% in 2022 to 26.8% in 2023.

Weather

Clear49 (59.8%)
-26.9%prior 67
Cloudy9 (11.0%)
-10.0%prior 10
Rain7 (8.5%)
40.0%prior 5
Snow5 (6.1%)
Rain/Cloudy3 (3.7%)
Snow/Cloudy2 (2.4%)
Cloudy/Rain2 (2.4%)
-71.4%prior 7
Cloudy/Snow2 (2.4%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (1.2%)
Clear/Cloudy1 (1.2%)

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

Lighting

Daylight51 (62.2%)
-20.3%prior 64
Dark - roadway not lighted22 (26.8%)
15.8%prior 19
Dark - lighted roadway5 (6.1%)
-28.6%prior 7
Dusk2 (2.4%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (1.2%)
Dawn1 (1.2%)

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

Road Surface

Dry52 (63.4%)
-33.3%prior 78
Wet18 (22.0%)
20.0%prior 15
Snow9 (11.0%)
80.0%prior 5
Other1 (1.2%)
Slush1 (1.2%)
Water (standing, moving)1 (1.2%)

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 Honda, Toyota, and Ford in both years, though their order changed. In 2023, Honda was the most common make with 16 vehicles, whereas in 2022, Toyota and Ford shared the top spot with 20 vehicles each. The most frequently represented age group for persons involved in crashes also shifted, moving from the 55-64 bracket in 2022 to the 35-44 bracket in 2023.

Top Vehicle Makes (123 vehicles)

1
HONDA16 (13%)
0.0%prior 16
2
TOYOTA12 (9.8%)
-40.0%prior 20
3
FORD12 (9.8%)
-40.0%prior 20
4
CHEVROLET9 (7.3%)
-25.0%prior 12
5
JEEP8 (6.5%)
-27.3%prior 11
6
NISSAN6 (4.9%)
-14.3%prior 7
7
DODGE4 (3.3%)
8
KIA3 (2.4%)
9
SUBARU3 (2.4%)
-66.7%prior 9
10
RAM3 (2.4%)

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

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

Sex Distribution (143 persons with recorded sex)

Male86 (60.1%)
-13.1%prior 99
Female57 (39.9%)
-34.5%prior 87

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

In both years, the 65 mph speed zone saw the highest number of crashes, though the count dropped from 31 in 2022 to 22 in 2023. The location of the single fatal crash shifted between periods, occurring in the 65 mph zone in 2022 and the 55 mph zone in 2023. Crashes in the 30 mph zone also saw a notable decrease from 21 incidents to 14.

Fatal crashes by zone: 55 mph: 1 of 5 (20%)

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: NEWBURY, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 82
  • Total persons involved: 160
  • Total vehicles involved: 123

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). "NEWBURY, 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/newbury/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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Newbury, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com