Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

48 CRASHES IN
SOMERVILLE, MA
NOVEMBER 2023

All metrics benchmarked againstNovember 2022

Total crashes in Somerville, MA, decreased from 67 in November 2022 to 48 in November 2023, representing a 28.4% reduction. The most notable year-over-year shift was the presence of 2 hit-and-run crashes in November 2023, compared to none in the prior year.

48

▼ -28.4%was 67

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

19

▼ -34.5%was 29

Persons Injured

2

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 · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall, crash incidents in Somerville, MA, showed a downward trend year-over-year, decreasing from 67 crashes in November 2022 to 48 crashes in November 2023. This represents a 28.4% reduction in total crashes. Total injuries also declined by 34.5%, from 29 to 19.

2

Hit-and-Run Crashes — November 2023

4.2% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 0→0.0%

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 0→0.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 0→0.0%

2

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 1↑100.0%

6

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 1↑500.0%

11

Motorists Injured

Prior: 27↓-59.3%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The peak day for crashes shifted from Monday and Thursday, both with 12 crashes, in November 2022 to Thursday with 9 crashes in November 2023. The peak hour for crashes also changed, moving from 11 AM with 9 crashes in November 2022 to 4 PM with 8 crashes in November 2023. Both periods show afternoon hours as a period of elevated crash activity.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Both November 2022 and November 2023 reported zero total fatalities and zero fatal crashes. The total number of injuries decreased from 29 in November 2022 to 19 in November 2023. The proportion of 'No Injury' crashes remained stable, accounting for 64.2% in November 2022 and 64.6% in November 2023.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Minor Injury10minor injury crashes20.8%
↓-9.1%prior 11
Possible Injury7possible injury crashes14.6%
↓-22.2%prior 9
No Injury31no injury crashes64.6%
↓-27.9%prior 43

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

Among contributing factors, 'Followed too closely' saw an increase in count, rising from 3 incidents in November 2022 to 9 in November 2023. Conversely, 'Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings' decreased from 5 incidents to 1. 'Failed to yield right of way' remained a top factor, decreasing slightly from 8 incidents to 7.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving9 (18.8%)↑12.5%prior 8
Followed too closely9 (18.8%)
Failed to yield right of way7 (14.6%)↓-12.5%prior 8
Inattention2 (4.2%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (4.2%)
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings1 (2.1%)↓-80.0%prior 5
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner1 (2.1%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway1 (2.1%)
Wrong side or wrong way1 (2.1%)
Illness1 (2.1%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes occurring in 'Clear' weather conditions (including 'Clear/Clear') decreased from a combined 52 in November 2022 to 35 in November 2023. Crashes during 'Daylight' conditions also decreased from 39 to 25. The number of crashes on 'Wet' road surfaces remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 9 to 8.

Weather

Clear30 (62.5%)
↓-28.6%prior 42
Rain7 (14.6%)
↑40.0%prior 5
Clear/Clear5 (10.4%)
↓-50.0%prior 10
Cloudy4 (8.3%)
↓-20.0%prior 5
Clear/Cloudy1 (2.1%)
Cloudy/Rain1 (2.1%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight25 (52.1%)
↓-35.9%prior 39
Dark - lighted roadway21 (43.8%)
↓-4.5%prior 22
Dusk2 (4.2%)
↓-60.0%prior 5

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry40 (83.3%)
↓-31.0%prior 58
Wet8 (16.7%)
↓-11.1%prior 9

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The total number of vehicles involved in crashes decreased from 138 in November 2022 to 96 in November 2023. TOYOTA remained the most frequently involved make, though its count decreased from 30 to 25, while HONDA decreased from 27 to 20. The age group 26-34 saw the largest decrease in persons involved, dropping from 41 to 17.

Top Vehicle Makes (96 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA25 (26%)
↓-16.7%prior 30
2
HONDA20 (20.8%)
↓-25.9%prior 27
3
CHEVROLET9 (9.4%)
↑80.0%prior 5
4
JEEP6 (6.3%)
↓-33.3%prior 9
5
NISSAN5 (5.2%)
→0.0%prior 5
6
FORD5 (5.2%)
↓-64.3%prior 14
7
KIA4 (4.2%)
↓-20.0%prior 5
8
MAZDA3 (3.1%)
9
ACURA2 (2.1%)
10
BMW2 (2.1%)
↓-60.0%prior 5

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (99 persons with recorded sex)

Male67 (67.7%)
↓-16.3%prior 80
Female32 (32.3%)
↓-54.3%prior 70

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Crashes in 25 mph zones experienced the largest decrease, dropping from 31 in November 2022 to 19 in November 2023. In contrast, crashes in 55 mph zones increased from 4 to 7. No fatal crashes were reported in any speed zone during either the current or prior period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30 · 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: 2023-11-01 through 2023-11-30
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2023-11-01 through 2023-11-30 (30 days)
  • Geographic scope: SOMERVILLE, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 48
  • Total persons involved: 127
  • Total vehicles involved: 96

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). "SOMERVILLE, MA Crash Intelligence Report: November 2023." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2023-11-30. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/somerville/november-2023-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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Somerville, MA Crash Report — November 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com