Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

60 CRASHES IN
SHELBURNE, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Shelburne recorded 60 traffic crashes, a 25% increase from the 48 crashes reported in 2022. While total injuries rose from 10 to 13, there were no fatalities in either period. A notable shift was the complete disappearance of crashes involving suspected drunk driving, which dropped from 6 incidents in 2022 to zero in 2023.

60

25.0%was 48

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

13

30.0%was 10

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. 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, the data indicates a rising trend in traffic collisions year-over-year. The total number of crashes increased by 25%, from 48 in 2022 to 60 in 2023. Similarly, the number of people injured in these incidents rose by 30%, from 10 to 13, while fatalities remained at zero for both years.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

13

Motorists Injured

Prior: 1030.0%

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 timing of crashes shifted between the two periods. The most frequent day for crashes moved from Friday in 2022 (14 incidents) to Tuesday in 2023 (13 incidents). While the 6 p.m. hour was a peak time in both years, crash volume in the late afternoon intensified in 2023, with 7 crashes each at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The month with the highest crash frequency also changed, shifting from January (6 crashes) in 2022 to November (9 crashes) in 2023.

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

There were no fatal crashes recorded in either 2023 or 2022. Although the absolute number of injuries increased, the proportion of crashes resulting in an injury decreased from 18.8% in 2022 to 13.4% in 2023. The severity of injuries also lessened, with one crash classified as 'Serious Injury' in 2022, a category that did not appear in the 2023 data.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Minor Injury7minor injury crashes11.7%
0.0%prior 7
Possible Injury1possible injury crashes1.7%
0.0%prior 1
No Injury50no injury crashes83.3%
28.2%prior 39

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

While 'No improper driving' remained the most common circumstance in both years, its count increased from 20 to 31 incidents. The ranking of contributing factors changed, with 'Failed to yield right of way' becoming the second most-cited factor in 2023, its count more than doubling from 3 to 7 crashes. Conversely, crashes attributed to 'Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner' dropped from 6 in 2022 to zero in 2023.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving31 (51.7%)55.0%prior 20
Failed to yield right of way7 (11.7%)
Inattention4 (6.7%)
Made an improper turn3 (5%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (3.3%)
Illness2 (3.3%)
Other improper action2 (3.3%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway2 (3.3%)
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings2 (3.3%)
Followed too closely1 (1.7%)

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

Crashes in 2023 were more likely to occur in ideal conditions compared to the prior year. The proportion of collisions happening in 'Clear' weather increased from 62.5% in 2022 to 66.7% in 2023. Similarly, crashes on 'Dry' road surfaces rose from 66.7% of the total in 2022 to 71.7% in 2023. Crashes on unlit dark roadways decreased as a share of the total, from 29.2% in 2022 to 21.7% in 2023.

Weather

Clear40 (67.8%)
33.3%prior 30
Cloudy7 (11.9%)
Rain3 (5.1%)
Snow3 (5.1%)
-40.0%prior 5
Rain/Cloudy2 (3.4%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)2 (3.4%)
Clear/Cloudy1 (1.7%)
Fog, smog, smoke1 (1.7%)

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

Lighting

Daylight36 (61.0%)
38.5%prior 26
Dark - roadway not lighted13 (22.0%)
-7.1%prior 14
Dawn6 (10.2%)
Dark - lighted roadway4 (6.8%)

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

Road Surface

Dry43 (72.9%)
34.4%prior 32
Wet10 (16.9%)
100.0%prior 5
Snow5 (8.5%)
-16.7%prior 6
Ice1 (1.7%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

Toyota remained the most frequently involved vehicle make, with its count increasing from 10 vehicles in 2022 to 18 in 2023. There was also a significant demographic shift in persons involved in crashes; the 65+ age group's involvement grew from 15 individuals in 2022 to 28 in 2023, representing a proportional increase from 20% to nearly 30% of all persons with a known age.

Top Vehicle Makes (85 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA18 (21.2%)
80.0%prior 10
2
SUBARU10 (11.8%)
25.0%prior 8
3
HONDA10 (11.8%)
4
FORD9 (10.6%)
0.0%prior 9
5
CHEVROLET8 (9.4%)
0.0%prior 8
6
NISSAN7 (8.2%)
7
JEEP4 (4.7%)
8
HYUNDAI3 (3.5%)
-50.0%prior 6
9
VOLKSWAGEN3 (3.5%)
10
VOLVO3 (3.5%)

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

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

Sex Distribution (91 persons with recorded sex)

Male52 (57.1%)
8.3%prior 48
Female39 (42.9%)
44.4%prior 27

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

Year-over-year, crashes became more concentrated in higher speed zones. In 2023, collisions in 50 mph zones accounted for 60.7% of crashes with a recorded speed limit (34 of 56), a substantial increase from 2022, when they made up 38.3% (18 of 47). Conversely, the number of crashes in 25 mph zones decreased from 8 to 7. No fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone during either period.

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: SHELBURNE, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 60
  • Total persons involved: 100
  • Total vehicles involved: 85

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). "SHELBURNE, 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/shelburne/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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Shelburne, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com