Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

371 CRASHES IN
SOUTHBOROUGH, MA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

In 2023, Southborough recorded 371 total vehicle crashes, a 12.8% increase from the 329 crashes reported in 2022. While total injuries saw a slight decrease from 106 to 100, the number of hit-and-run incidents increased significantly, rising by 75% from 12 to 21 incidents year-over-year.

371

12.8%was 329

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

100

-5.7%was 106

Persons Injured

21

75.0%was 12

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. 5 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, total crashes in Southborough increased by 12.8% from 329 in 2022 to 371 in 2023. Despite the rise in collisions, the number of resulting injuries decreased by 5.7%, from 106 to 100. There were no fatalities recorded in either period.

21

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

75.0% vs prior (12)

The number of hit-and-run crashes increased significantly, rising by 75% from 12 incidents in 2022 to 21 in 2023. This pushed the hit-and-run rate, as a percentage of total crashes, from 3.6% in the prior year to 5.7% in the current year, indicating an upward trend for this crash type.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

2

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 1100.0%

98

Motorists Injured

Prior: 105-6.7%

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 temporal patterns of crashes shifted between the two years. In 2023, the peak day for crashes was Tuesday with 68 incidents, a change from Friday (66 incidents) in 2022. The peak hour also moved from the 5 p.m. evening commute in 2022 (38 crashes) to the 8 a.m. morning commute in 2023 (35 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

Crash severity remained relatively stable year-over-year, with zero fatal crashes recorded in either 2022 or 2023. The proportion of crashes resulting in an injury decreased slightly, with serious injury crashes accounting for 1.3% of the total in 2023 compared to 1.5% in 2022. Correspondingly, crashes with no reported injuries increased as a share of the total, rising from 76.6% in 2022 to 79.2% in 2023.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury5serious injury crashes1.3%
0.0%prior 5
Minor Injury56minor injury crashes15.1%
1.8%prior 55
Possible Injury11possible injury crashes3%
-15.4%prior 13
No Injury294no injury crashes79.2%
16.7%prior 252

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 'Inattention' remained a top improper driving factor, its count decreased from 66 incidents in 2022 to 63 in 2023. More significant shifts occurred in other categories; crashes attributed to 'Failed to yield right of way' increased by 175% in count, from 8 to 22 incidents. Similarly, the count of crashes involving 'Driving too fast for conditions' grew by 57%, from 14 to 22 incidents.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving113 (30.5%)0.0%prior 113
Inattention63 (17%)-4.5%prior 66
Followed too closely30 (8.1%)0.0%prior 30
Failed to yield right of way22 (5.9%)175.0%prior 8
Driving too fast for conditions22 (5.9%)57.1%prior 14
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road17 (4.6%)13.3%prior 15
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner15 (4%)-11.8%prior 17
Other improper action12 (3.2%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway12 (3.2%)
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings9 (2.4%)80.0%prior 5

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 distribution of crashes across lighting conditions remained consistent, with approximately 67% occurring in daylight in both periods. However, there was an increase in crashes occurring during adverse road and weather conditions. Crashes on non-dry surfaces like wet, snow, or ice made up 29.1% of the total in 2023, up from a 24.6% share in 2022.

Weather

Clear242 (66.7%)
5.7%prior 229
Cloudy31 (8.5%)
-16.2%prior 37
Rain30 (8.3%)
36.4%prior 22
Snow16 (4.4%)
60.0%prior 10
Cloudy/Rain15 (4.1%)
66.7%prior 9
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)7 (1.9%)
Rain/Cloudy6 (1.7%)
Cloudy/Snow5 (1.4%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)4 (1.1%)
-50.0%prior 8
Rain/Fog, smog, smoke1 (0.3%)

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

Lighting

Daylight250 (67.4%)
12.1%prior 223
Dark - lighted roadway67 (18.1%)
1.5%prior 66
Dark - roadway not lighted27 (7.3%)
12.5%prior 24
Dawn13 (3.5%)
116.7%prior 6
Dusk10 (2.7%)
11.1%prior 9
Dark - unknown roadway lighting4 (1.1%)

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

Road Surface

Dry262 (70.6%)
6.5%prior 246
Wet77 (20.8%)
54.0%prior 50
Snow21 (5.7%)
23.5%prior 17
Ice6 (1.6%)
-45.5%prior 11
Slush4 (1.1%)
Sand, mud, dirt, oil, gravel1 (0.3%)

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 unchanged: Toyota, Honda, and Ford led in both 2022 and 2023. Analysis of persons involved shows a demographic shift, with the 26-34 age group becoming the most represented in 2023, increasing from 121 to 153 individuals. The number of individuals aged 65 and older involved in crashes also saw a notable increase from 45 in 2022 to 72 in 2023.

Top Vehicle Makes (659 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA106 (16.1%)
11.6%prior 95
2
HONDA78 (11.8%)
-2.5%prior 80
3
FORD77 (11.7%)
22.2%prior 63
4
SUBARU38 (5.8%)
35.7%prior 28
5
CHEVROLET33 (5%)
6.5%prior 31
6
NISSAN31 (4.7%)
-3.1%prior 32
7
JEEP26 (3.9%)
8.3%prior 24
8
HYUNDAI24 (3.6%)
-17.2%prior 29
9
GMC18 (2.7%)
50.0%prior 12
10
MAZDA16 (2.4%)
33.3%prior 12

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

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

Sex Distribution (765 persons with recorded sex)

Male470 (61.4%)
22.1%prior 385
Female295 (38.6%)
5.0%prior 281

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

Crashes continue to be most frequent in 50 mph and 65 mph zones, with the number of incidents in 50 mph zones increasing from 110 to 138 year-over-year. A notable shift occurred in lower speed zones, as crashes in 30 mph zones rose from 41 to 56, while incidents in 40 mph zones decreased from 42 to 28. There were no fatal crashes reported in any speed zone for 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: SOUTHBOROUGH, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 371
  • Total persons involved: 808
  • Total vehicles involved: 659

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). "SOUTHBOROUGH, 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/southborough/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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Southborough, MA Crash Report — 2023 | ThatCarHitMe.com