Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

42 CRASHES IN
STURBRIDGE, MA
SEPTEMBER 2022

All metrics benchmarked againstSeptember 2021

In September 2022, STURBRIDGE experienced 42 total crashes, marking a 40% increase compared to the 30 crashes recorded in September 2021. The most notable shift was a 160% increase in crashes attributed to 'Followed too closely' as a contributing factor, rising from 5 to 13 crashes year-over-year.

42

40.0%was 30

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

15

25.0%was 12

Persons Injured

2

-33.3%was 3

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. 1 crash with unreported severity is not shown in the severity breakdown.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

The overall trend in crash data for STURBRIDGE shows a significant increase year-over-year, with total crashes rising by 40% from 30 in September 2021 to 42 in September 2022. Concurrently, total injuries increased by 25%, from 12 in the prior period to 15 in the current period.

2

Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2022

-33.3% vs prior (3)

Hit-and-run crashes decreased from 3 in September 2021 to 2 in September 2022. Correspondingly, the hit-and-run rate decreased from 10% in the prior period to 4.8% in the current period, indicating a downward trend.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 3-66.7%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 0%

13

Motorists Injured

Prior: 944.4%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The temporal pattern for crashes shifted, with the peak day moving from Monday in September 2021 (8 crashes) to Friday in September 2022 (11 crashes). The peak crash hour remained consistent at 3 p.m. in both periods, with 5 crashes in the prior year and 6 crashes in the current year.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

There were no fatal crashes or fatalities in either September 2021 or September 2022. The proportion of crashes resulting in 'No Injury' increased from a 66.7% share (20 crashes) in the prior period to a 76.2% share (32 crashes) in the current period. Crashes with 'Minor Injury' (severity B) decreased from 4 crashes (13.3% share) to 3 crashes (7.1% share) year-over-year.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury1serious injury crashes2.4%
0.0%prior 1
Minor Injury3minor injury crashes7.1%
-25.0%prior 4
Possible Injury5possible injury crashes11.9%
0.0%prior 5
No Injury32no injury crashes76.2%
60.0%prior 20

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

Among contributing factors, 'Followed too closely' saw a substantial increase, rising from 5 crashes in September 2021 to 13 crashes in September 2022, representing a 160% increase in count. 'Inattention' crashes decreased by 25% in count, from 8 crashes to 6 crashes, while 'No improper driving' crashes increased from 7 to 9, a 28.6% increase in count.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

Followed too closely13 (31%)160.0%prior 5
No improper driving9 (21.4%)28.6%prior 7
Inattention6 (14.3%)-25.0%prior 8
Failed to yield right of way3 (7.1%)
Other improper action3 (7.1%)
Driving too fast for conditions2 (4.8%)
Fatigued/asleep2 (4.8%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road1 (2.4%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner1 (2.4%)
Exceeded authorized speed limit1 (2.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes occurring in 'Daylight' conditions increased from 22 in September 2021 to 33 in September 2022. Crashes on 'Dry' road surfaces also rose from 25 to 35 year-over-year. The number of crashes in 'Dark - roadway not lighted' conditions remained stable at 6 in both periods.

Weather

Clear35 (83.3%)
52.2%prior 23
Rain5 (11.9%)
Cloudy2 (4.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight33 (78.6%)
50.0%prior 22
Dark - roadway not lighted6 (14.3%)
0.0%prior 6
Dark - lighted roadway3 (7.1%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry35 (83.3%)
40.0%prior 25
Wet7 (16.7%)
40.0%prior 5

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The age group 26-34 experienced the largest increase in persons involved in crashes, rising from 9 in the prior period to 22 in the current period. Honda became the top vehicle make involved in crashes, with 10 vehicles in September 2022 compared to 3 in September 2021, while Ford involvement decreased from 9 to 3 vehicles.

Top Vehicle Makes (86 vehicles)

1
HONDA10 (11.6%)
2
TOYOTA8 (9.3%)
33.3%prior 6
3
CHEVROLET8 (9.3%)
60.0%prior 5
4
SUBARU7 (8.1%)
40.0%prior 5
5
HYUNDAI6 (7%)
6
NISSAN5 (5.8%)
0.0%prior 5
7
DODGE4 (4.7%)
8
AUDI3 (3.5%)
9
FORD3 (3.5%)
-66.7%prior 9
10
VOLKSWAGEN3 (3.5%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (100 persons with recorded sex)

Male63 (63.0%)
46.5%prior 43
Female37 (37.0%)
5.7%prior 35

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Crashes in 65 mph speed limit zones increased from 10 in September 2021 to 16 in September 2022. Similarly, crashes in 35 mph speed limit zones doubled from 6 to 12. Both periods recorded 0 fatalities across all speed zones.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30 · 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: 2022-09-01 through 2022-09-30
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2022-09-01 through 2022-09-30 (30 days)
  • Geographic scope: STURBRIDGE, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 42
  • Total persons involved: 105
  • Total vehicles involved: 86

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). "STURBRIDGE, MA Crash Intelligence Report: September 2022." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2022-09-30. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/sturbridge/september-2022-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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Sturbridge, MA Crash Report — September 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com