Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

3 CRASHES IN
PERU, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Peru recorded 3 total traffic crashes, the same number as in 2022, representing a 0% year-over-year change in crash volume. While crash totals remained stable, the most significant change was a 100% decrease in injuries, which fell from 3 in 2022 to 0 in 2023. There were no fatalities reported in either year.

3

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

0

-100.0%was 3

Persons Injured

0

Fatal Crash Events

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

Trend Summary

The overall number of crashes in Peru held steady year-over-year, with 3 incidents recorded in both 2023 and 2022. However, the severity of outcomes saw a notable improvement, as the number of people injured in crashes dropped to zero in 2023 from three in the prior year.

When Crashes Happen

The timing of crashes showed a shift between the two periods. In 2022, the peak day for crashes was Sunday with two incidents, while in 2023, crashes were distributed across the week with one incident each on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The noon hour (12p) was the most frequent time for crashes in 2023 with two incidents, whereas in 2022 crashes were spread across three different hours.

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

Top Contributing Factors

The reported contributing factors for crashes changed significantly between 2022 and 2023. In 2022, driver-related actions such as "Over-correcting/over-steering" (2 crashes) and "Failure to keep in proper lane" (1 crash) were the only factors cited. In 2023, these factors were not reported; instead, one crash was attributed to "Driving too fast for conditions," and two crashes were reported as having "No improper driving."

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving2 (66.7%)
Driving too fast for conditions1 (33.3%)

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

Lighting conditions for crashes were identical in both years, with two incidents occurring in daylight and one in darkness. A notable shift occurred in road surface conditions; in 2023, two of the three crashes involved winter surfaces (snow and ice), compared to 2022 where two crashes happened on dry roads. Weather condition data was recorded for 2023 crashes (2 snow, 1 clear) but was not available for the 2022 period.

Weather

Snow2 (66.7%)
Clear1 (33.3%)

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

Lighting

Daylight2 (66.7%)
Dark - roadway not lighted1 (33.3%)

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

Road Surface

Dry1 (33.3%)
Ice1 (33.3%)
Snow1 (33.3%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

Top Vehicle Makes (4 vehicles)

1
FORD1 (25%)
2
INTL1 (25%)
3
MAZDA1 (25%)
4
SUBARU1 (25%)

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

Sex Distribution (6 persons with recorded sex)

Female4 (66.7%)
-20.0%prior 5
Male2 (33.3%)
0.0%prior 2

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 different speed zones shifted between the two years. In 2022, two crashes occurred in 30 mph zones and one in a 40 mph zone. In 2023, crashes tended to occur in higher speed zones, with two incidents in a 45 mph zone and one in a 30 mph zone. No fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone in either year.

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: PERU, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 3
  • Total persons involved: 6
  • Total vehicles involved: 4

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). "PERU, 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/peru/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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Peru, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com