Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

123 CRASHES IN
WEST BOYLSTON, MA
2022

All metrics benchmarked against2021

In 2022, West Boylston recorded 123 total vehicle crashes, a 20.6% decrease from the 155 crashes documented in 2021. While total crashes and injuries (51 to 43) declined, the number of fatalities remained constant at two deaths in both periods. The most notable year-over-year shift was the significant increase in serious injury crashes, which rose from one in 2021 to five in 2022.

123

-20.6%was 155

Total Crash Events

2

Persons Killed

43

-15.7%was 51

Persons Injured

5

25.0%was 4

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (2) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (2) 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 · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Crash data for West Boylston indicates a downward trend year-over-year, with total crashes falling by 20.6% from 155 in 2021 to 123 in 2022. The number of people injured in these incidents also decreased from 51 to 43. However, the number of fatalities held steady at two in both years, resulting in a higher fatal crash rate in 2022 (1.63%) compared to 2021 (1.29%).

5

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2022

25.0% vs prior (4)

The number of hit-and-run incidents increased from four in 2021 to five in 2022. Due to the overall decrease in total crashes for the year, the hit-and-run rate saw a more pronounced increase, rising from 2.6% of all crashes in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022. This indicates an upward trend in the proportion of crashes where a driver left the scene.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

1

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 0%

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Motorists Killed

Prior: 2-50.0%

1

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 0%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 2-50.0%

41

Motorists Injured

Prior: 49-16.3%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · 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 some consistency and some shifts between the two periods. Thursday remained the peak day for crashes in both 2022 (26 crashes) and 2021 (35 crashes), though the volume on that day decreased. The peak hour for collisions shifted slightly later in the afternoon, moving from the 4 p.m. hour in 2021 (18 crashes) to the 5 p.m. hour in 2022 (16 crashes).

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

While the number of fatal crashes remained unchanged at two, the fatal crash rate increased from 1.29% in 2021 to 1.63% in 2022 due to the lower overall crash volume. A significant change occurred in crash severity, with serious injury crashes increasing from one incident (0.6% of total) in 2021 to five incidents (4.1% of total) in 2022. Consequently, the share of crashes resulting in either a fatality or serious injury rose from 1.9% in 2021 to 5.7% in 2022.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal2fatal crashes1.6%
0.0%prior 2
Serious Injury5serious injury crashes4.1%
400.0%prior 1
Minor Injury18minor injury crashes14.6%
-18.2%prior 22
Possible Injury13possible injury crashes10.6%
-13.3%prior 15
No Injury83no injury crashes67.5%
-25.2%prior 111

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

The top contributing factors showed some shifts in volume despite consistent rankings. Crashes where 'Failed to yield right of way' was a factor held steady at 16 in both 2021 and 2022. The count of crashes attributed to 'Inattention' was halved, dropping from 14 in 2021 to 7 in 2022. Conversely, crashes involving an 'Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner' more than doubled, increasing from 3 to 8 over the same period.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving43 (35%)-6.5%prior 46
Failed to yield right of way16 (13%)0.0%prior 16
Driving too fast for conditions8 (6.5%)-11.1%prior 9
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner8 (6.5%)
Inattention7 (5.7%)-50.0%prior 14
Followed too closely6 (4.9%)20.0%prior 5
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road5 (4.1%)-50.0%prior 10
Other improper action5 (4.1%)-54.5%prior 11
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings4 (3.3%)
Over-correcting/over-steering4 (3.3%)-42.9%prior 7

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

In both 2021 and 2022, the majority of crashes occurred in clear weather, during daylight hours, and on dry road surfaces. The proportion of crashes happening on dry roads remained stable, accounting for 72.9% of crashes in 2021 and 74.0% in 2022. Similarly, the share of crashes occurring during daylight was consistent at 63.9% in 2021 and 60.2% in 2022, indicating no major shift in crash conditions.

Weather

Clear86 (69.9%)
-9.5%prior 95
Rain13 (10.6%)
30.0%prior 10
Snow7 (5.7%)
-46.2%prior 13
Cloudy6 (4.9%)
-75.0%prior 24
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)4 (3.3%)
Cloudy/Rain3 (2.4%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)/Fog, smog, smoke1 (0.8%)
Clear/Cloudy1 (0.8%)
Snow/Cloudy1 (0.8%)
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (0.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight74 (60.7%)
-25.3%prior 99
Dark - lighted roadway33 (27.0%)
-13.2%prior 38
Dark - roadway not lighted7 (5.7%)
-41.7%prior 12
Dusk4 (3.3%)
Dawn3 (2.5%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (0.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry91 (74.6%)
-19.5%prior 113
Wet17 (13.9%)
0.0%prior 17
Snow10 (8.2%)
-16.7%prior 12
Ice4 (3.3%)
-69.2%prior 13

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The most common vehicle makes involved in collisions remained consistent year-over-year, with Toyota, Ford, and Honda ranking as the top three in both periods. An analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group had the highest count in both years, and this group's share of total persons involved increased from 16.4% in 2021 to 18.7% in 2022. Conversely, the representation of the 16-20 age group decreased from 13.5% of all persons involved in 2021 to 10.8% in 2022.

Top Vehicle Makes (207 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA33 (15.9%)
-31.3%prior 48
2
FORD29 (14%)
-9.4%prior 32
3
HONDA21 (10.1%)
-19.2%prior 26
4
CHEVROLET19 (9.2%)
18.8%prior 16
5
NISSAN13 (6.3%)
-13.3%prior 15
6
JEEP9 (4.3%)
-18.2%prior 11
7
SUBARU9 (4.3%)
-47.1%prior 17
8
HYUNDAI8 (3.9%)
0.0%prior 8
9
KIA7 (3.4%)
10
MERCEDES-BENZ6 (2.9%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (225 persons with recorded sex)

Male120 (53.3%)
-24.1%prior 158
Female105 (46.7%)
-24.5%prior 139

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

There was a noticeable shift in where crashes occurred relative to posted speed limits. Collisions in 40 mph zones increased from 40 in 2021 to become the most frequent zone with 50 crashes in 2022. Conversely, crashes in 30 mph zones decreased from 44 to 33 over the same period. One fatal crash occurred in a 30 mph zone in both years, while the second fatality shifted from a 35 mph zone in 2021 to a 65 mph zone in 2022.

Fatal crashes by zone: 30 mph: 1 of 33 (3.03%) · 65 mph: 1 of 25 (4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · 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: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: WEST BOYLSTON, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 123
  • Total persons involved: 251
  • Total vehicles involved: 207

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). "WEST BOYLSTON, MA Crash Intelligence Report: 2022." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/west-boylston/2022-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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West Boylston, MA Crash Report — 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com