Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

140 CRASHES IN
TOWNSEND, MA
2025

All metrics benchmarked against2024

In 2025, Townsend recorded 140 total crashes, a 1.4% decrease from the 142 crashes documented in 2024. While overall crashes and injuries declined, the most notable year-over-year shift was a 150% increase in hit-and-run incidents, which grew from 4 to 10.

140

-1.4%was 142

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

30

-28.6%was 42

Persons Injured

10

150.0%was 4

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 · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall crash trends in Townsend remained relatively stable, with a slight decrease of 1.4% from 142 crashes in 2024 to 140 in 2025. The number of reported injuries saw a more significant decline, falling 28.6% from 42 to 30. No fatalities were recorded in either year.

10

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2025

150.0% vs prior (4)

The number of hit-and-run crashes increased by 150%, rising from 4 incidents in 2024 to 10 in 2025. As a result, the hit-and-run rate more than doubled, climbing from 2.8% of all crashes in the prior year to 7.1% in the current year.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

30

Motorists Injured

Prior: 40-25.0%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The temporal patterns of crashes showed high consistency year-over-year. Tuesday remained the peak day for crashes in both 2025 and 2024, with an identical 30 incidents recorded each year. The peak hour for crashes shifted slightly later, from 4 p.m. in 2024 (15 crashes) to 5 p.m. in 2025 (13 crashes).

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Crash severity improved, with the total number of persons injured decreasing by 28.6%, from 42 in 2024 to 30 in 2025. There were no fatal crashes in either period. The number of serious injury crashes was unchanged at two, while crashes resulting in minor injuries fell from 22 to 17, and those with possible injuries dropped from 13 to 6.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury2serious injury crashes1.4%
0.0%prior 2
Minor Injury17minor injury crashes12.1%
-22.7%prior 22
Possible Injury6possible injury crashes4.3%
-53.8%prior 13
No Injury110no injury crashes78.6%
6.8%prior 103

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

Inattention was the top contributing factor in both periods, cited in 30 crashes each year. The count of crashes involving 'Failed to yield right of way' decreased by 20%, from 10 incidents in 2024 to 8 in 2025. In contrast, crashes attributed to 'Swerving or avoiding' increased by 33.3% in count, from 6 to 8 incidents, while 'Visibility obstructed' as a factor fell from 8 incidents to 2.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving36 (25.7%)-12.2%prior 41
Inattention30 (21.4%)0.0%prior 30
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway8 (5.7%)33.3%prior 6
Failed to yield right of way8 (5.7%)-20.0%prior 10
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner7 (5%)40.0%prior 5
Fatigued/asleep7 (5%)40.0%prior 5
Followed too closely7 (5%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road6 (4.3%)20.0%prior 5
Driving too fast for conditions5 (3.6%)
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings3 (2.1%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes on dry roads and in daylight remained the majority in both periods. There was a notable shift within adverse conditions: incidents on wet roads decreased from 20 in 2024 to 9 in 2025, while crashes on icy or snowy surfaces increased from 10 to 17. The share of crashes in dark, unlighted conditions also rose, from 21.1% of all crashes in 2024 to 25.7% in 2025.

Weather

Clear102 (72.9%)
-4.7%prior 107
Cloudy18 (12.9%)
20.0%prior 15
Rain4 (2.9%)
-60.0%prior 10
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)3 (2.1%)
Snow/Cloudy3 (2.1%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)2 (1.4%)
Cloudy/Rain2 (1.4%)
Snow2 (1.4%)
-60.0%prior 5
Cloudy/Clear1 (0.7%)
Fog, smog, smoke/Clear1 (0.7%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight93 (66.9%)
-3.1%prior 96
Dark - roadway not lighted36 (25.9%)
20.0%prior 30
Dark - lighted roadway5 (3.6%)
-54.5%prior 11
Dawn3 (2.2%)
Dusk2 (1.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry113 (81.3%)
2.7%prior 110
Wet9 (6.5%)
-55.0%prior 20
Ice8 (5.8%)
Snow7 (5.0%)
-12.5%prior 8
Slush2 (1.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The top three vehicle makes involved in crashes were consistent, with Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet leading in both years. Analysis of person demographics reveals a shift in age group involvement; the number of persons aged 16-20 involved in crashes decreased from 52 to 39. Conversely, the number of persons aged 65 and older involved in incidents increased from 33 to 44.

Top Vehicle Makes (220 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA45 (20.5%)
18.4%prior 38
2
FORD36 (16.4%)
2.9%prior 35
3
CHEVROLET18 (8.2%)
-14.3%prior 21
4
HONDA16 (7.3%)
-15.8%prior 19
5
SUBARU14 (6.4%)
0.0%prior 14
6
GMC10 (4.5%)
42.9%prior 7
7
NISSAN8 (3.6%)
-38.5%prior 13
8
JEEP8 (3.6%)
-42.9%prior 14
9
HYUNDAI7 (3.2%)
40.0%prior 5
10
MAZDA6 (2.7%)
-25.0%prior 8

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (253 persons with recorded sex)

Male142 (56.1%)
-11.3%prior 160
Female111 (43.9%)
-14.6%prior 130

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

The distribution of crashes across speed zones shifted year-over-year. The 40 mph zone remained the most frequent location for crashes and saw an increase from 34 to 38 incidents. Crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 30 to 23, while those in 25 mph zones rose from 16 to 21. No fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone during either period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 · 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: 2025-01-01 through 2025-12-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2025-01-01 through 2025-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: TOWNSEND, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 140
  • Total persons involved: 274
  • Total vehicles involved: 220

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). "TOWNSEND, MA Crash Intelligence Report: 2025." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/townsend/2025-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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Townsend, MA Crash Report — 2025 | ThatCarHitMe.com