Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

45 CRASHES IN
PAXTON, MA
2022

All metrics benchmarked against2021

In 2022, Paxton recorded 45 total crashes, an 18.4% increase from the 38 crashes documented in 2021. While overall crashes rose, the total number of injuries decreased from 18 to 13. One of the most notable year-over-year shifts was the decrease in crashes attributed to driving under the influence, which fell from 4 incidents in 2021 to 1 in 2022.

45

18.4%was 38

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

13

-27.8%was 18

Persons Injured

1

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.

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

Crash incidents in Paxton showed an upward trend year-over-year, increasing from 38 in 2021 to 45 in 2022. This represents an 18.4% rise in the total number of recorded crashes. Despite this increase in volume, the number of resulting injuries saw a decline.

1

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2022

2.2% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

13

Motorists Injured

Prior: 18-27.8%

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 timing of crashes shifted between the two periods. In 2022, the peak day for crashes was Saturday with 10 incidents, moving from Friday (8 incidents) in the prior year. The peak hour also shifted significantly from late evening (11 p.m. in 2021) to the afternoon in 2022, with 4 p.m. being one of several hours recording a high of 5 crashes. This change suggests a move from late-night collisions to those occurring during daytime hours.

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

Although total crashes increased, the overall severity of those crashes lessened in 2022 compared to 2021. There were no fatal crashes in either period. The total number of people injured fell from 18 to 13, and the single serious injury crash from 2021 was not repeated in 2022. Correspondingly, the proportion of crashes resulting in no injury increased from 65.8% of all incidents in 2021 to 80.0% in 2022.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Minor Injury5minor injury crashes11.1%
-16.7%prior 6
Possible Injury4possible injury crashes8.9%
-20.0%prior 5
No Injury36no injury crashes80%
44.0%prior 25

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

In 2022, 'Inattention' was the leading contributing factor, cited in 12 crashes, which is double the 6 crashes attributed to it in 2021; this represents a 100% increase in count for this factor. Conversely, crashes involving 'Fatigued/asleep' drivers decreased from 4 incidents in 2021 to just 1 in 2022. 'Failed to yield right of way,' which was a factor in 4 crashes in 2021, was not recorded as a primary factor in any 2022 crashes.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

Inattention12 (26.7%)100.0%prior 6
No improper driving10 (22.2%)
Followed too closely4 (8.9%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner4 (8.9%)
Other improper action4 (8.9%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (4.4%)
Exceeded authorized speed limit1 (2.2%)
Operating defective equipment1 (2.2%)
Fatigued/asleep1 (2.2%)
Driving too fast for conditions1 (2.2%)

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

Crashes in 2022 occurred more frequently in clear and well-lit conditions compared to the previous year. The proportion of crashes happening in 'Daylight' increased from a 55.3% share in 2021 to 66.7% in 2022. Crashes on 'Dry' road surfaces remained the dominant condition, accounting for 80.0% of incidents in 2022 compared to 84.2% in 2021.

Weather

Clear32 (71.1%)
39.1%prior 23
Cloudy4 (8.9%)
Clear/Unknown2 (4.4%)
Snow2 (4.4%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)/Other1 (2.2%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (2.2%)
Clear/Other1 (2.2%)
Rain1 (2.2%)
Rain/Blowing sand, snow1 (2.2%)

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

Lighting

Daylight30 (66.7%)
42.9%prior 21
Dark - lighted roadway10 (22.2%)
11.1%prior 9
Dark - roadway not lighted2 (4.4%)
Dawn2 (4.4%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (2.2%)

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

Road Surface

Dry36 (80.0%)
12.5%prior 32
Snow4 (8.9%)
Wet3 (6.7%)
Ice1 (2.2%)
Slush1 (2.2%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The makes of vehicles involved in collisions showed some changes year-over-year. While Ford was a top make in both periods, its count decreased from 16 vehicles in 2021 to 14 in 2022, whereas Toyota's involvement nearly doubled from 7 to 13 vehicles. The age demographics of persons involved also shifted; the 35-44 and 65+ age groups were most represented in 2022, a change from the 16-20 and 26-34 age groups that were most prominent in 2021.

Top Vehicle Makes (75 vehicles)

1
FORD14 (18.7%)
-12.5%prior 16
2
TOYOTA13 (17.3%)
85.7%prior 7
3
CHEVROLET9 (12%)
50.0%prior 6
4
NISSAN6 (8%)
5
JEEP5 (6.7%)
-28.6%prior 7
6
INF4 (5.3%)
7
DODGE3 (4%)
-57.1%prior 7
8
HONDA3 (4%)
9
HYUNDAI3 (4%)
10
HD2 (2.7%)

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

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

Sex Distribution (91 persons with recorded sex)

Male55 (60.4%)
25.0%prior 44
Female36 (39.6%)
-2.7%prior 37

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

The distribution of crashes across speed zones shows a concentration in 30 and 40 mph areas for both years. The number of crashes in 40 mph zones remained constant at 23 incidents in both 2021 and 2022. However, there was a notable increase in crashes within 30 mph zones, which rose from 10 incidents in 2021 to 17 in 2022. 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: PAXTON, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 45
  • Total persons involved: 97
  • Total vehicles involved: 75

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). "PAXTON, 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/paxton/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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Paxton, MA Crash Report — 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com