Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

487 CRASHES IN
WORCESTER, MA
JANUARY 2025

All metrics benchmarked againstJanuary 2024

In January 2025, Worcester experienced 487 total crashes, marking a 17.18% decrease from the 588 crashes reported in January 2024. A notable shift was the increase in total fatalities from 0 in the prior period to 1 in the current period, despite the overall reduction in crash incidents.

487

▼ -17.2%was 588

Total Crash Events

1

Persons Killed

147

▼ -5.2%was 155

Persons Injured

92

▼ -14.8%was 108

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (1) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (1) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities. 51 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 2025-01-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall, crash incidents in Worcester showed a downward trend year-over-year, with total crashes decreasing by 17.18% from 588 to 487. However, total fatalities increased from 0 to 1, while total injuries saw a slight decrease of 5.16%, from 155 to 147.

92

Hit-and-Run Crashes — January 2025

▼ -14.8% vs prior (108)

Hit-and-run crashes decreased in count from 108 in January 2024 to 92 in January 2025, a reduction of 16 incidents. However, the hit-and-run rate slightly increased from 18.4% to 18.9% of total crashes, indicating a higher proportion of hit-and-run incidents relative to the overall lower crash volume.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

1

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 0→%

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 0→0.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 0→0.0%

9

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 8↑12.5%

3

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 0→%

135

Motorists Injured

Prior: 147↓-8.2%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2025-01-01 to 2025-01-31 · 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 year-over-year. The peak day for crashes moved from Monday in January 2024 (108 crashes) to Wednesday in January 2025 (80 crashes). Additionally, the peak hour for crashes changed from 5 p.m. (62 crashes) in the prior period to 8 a.m. (48 crashes) in the current period.

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

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

Crash Severity Breakdown

Crash severity saw a significant change, with total fatalities increasing from 0 in January 2024 to 1 in January 2025. While serious injury crashes decreased by 50% from 10 to 5, minor injury crashes increased from 59 to 62. The proportion of crashes resulting in no injury also increased from 62.6% to 66.3%.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Fatal1fatal crashes0.2%
Serious Injury5serious injury crashes1%
↓-50.0%prior 10
Minor Injury62minor injury crashes12.7%
↑5.1%prior 59
Possible Injury45possible injury crashes9.2%
↓-10.0%prior 50
No Injury323no injury crashes66.3%
↓-12.2%prior 368

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

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

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

Top Contributing Factors

Several contributing factors saw changes in crash counts year-over-year. Crashes attributed to 'No improper driving' decreased by 58 incidents, from 238 to 180. Conversely, crashes involving 'Failed to yield right of way' increased by 12 incidents, from 21 to 33, and 'Exceeded authorized speed limit' increased by 4 incidents, from 5 to 9, representing an 80% change in count.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving180 (37%)↓-24.4%prior 238
Failed to yield right of way33 (6.8%)↑57.1%prior 21
Followed too closely23 (4.7%)↑15.0%prior 20
Disregarded traffic signs, signals, road markings19 (3.9%)↑26.7%prior 15
Inattention15 (3.1%)↓-11.8%prior 17
Exceeded authorized speed limit9 (1.8%)↑80.0%prior 5
Driving too fast for conditions8 (1.6%)↓-38.5%prior 13
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road8 (1.6%)↓-33.3%prior 12
Other improper action6 (1.2%)→0.0%prior 6
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway5 (1%)↓-64.3%prior 14

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

Road & Environmental Conditions

Adverse weather and road conditions were associated with fewer crashes year-over-year. Crashes occurring in 'Snow' conditions decreased by 37 incidents (from 61 to 24), and 'Wet' road surfaces saw a decrease of 60 incidents (from 111 to 51). Conversely, crashes in 'Clear' weather increased by 27 incidents (from 232 to 259), and those on 'Dry' road surfaces increased by 88 incidents (from 231 to 319).

Weather

Clear259 (54.8%)
↑11.6%prior 232
Clear/Clear85 (18.0%)
↑97.7%prior 43
Cloudy26 (5.5%)
↓-52.7%prior 55
Snow24 (5.1%)
↓-60.7%prior 61
Rain12 (2.5%)
↓-45.5%prior 22
Clear/Cloudy9 (1.9%)
↓-43.8%prior 16
Cloudy/Cloudy9 (1.9%)
↓-30.8%prior 13
Rain/Rain8 (1.7%)
Cloudy/Snow6 (1.3%)
↓-33.3%prior 9
Snow/Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)5 (1.1%)
↓-82.8%prior 29

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

Lighting

Daylight267 (57.3%)
↓-6.0%prior 284
Dark - lighted roadway161 (34.5%)
↓-30.0%prior 230
Dark - roadway not lighted13 (2.8%)
↑18.2%prior 11
Dusk13 (2.8%)
↓-23.5%prior 17
Dawn8 (1.7%)
↓-55.6%prior 18
Dark - unknown roadway lighting4 (0.9%)
↓-60.0%prior 10

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

Road Surface

Dry319 (68.2%)
↑38.1%prior 231
Wet51 (10.9%)
↓-54.1%prior 111
Ice48 (10.3%)
↓-15.8%prior 57
Snow47 (10.0%)
↓-68.2%prior 148
Slush2 (0.4%)
↓-90.9%prior 22
Other1 (0.2%)

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

Vehicles & Demographics

The total number of vehicles involved in crashes decreased by 166, from 1115 to 949, a 14.89% reduction. All recorded age groups saw a decrease in the number of persons involved, with the 26-34 age group showing the largest decrease of 58 persons (from 236 to 178). Among top vehicle makes, TOYOTA, HONDA, and FORD all showed decreases in involvement, while SUBARU involvement increased from 50 to 54.

Top Vehicle Makes (949 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA192 (20.2%)
↓-15.0%prior 226
2
HONDA100 (10.5%)
↓-20.6%prior 126
3
FORD72 (7.6%)
↓-31.4%prior 105
4
CHEVROLET64 (6.7%)
↓-7.2%prior 69
5
NISSAN56 (5.9%)
↓-17.6%prior 68
6
SUBARU54 (5.7%)
↑8.0%prior 50
7
HYUNDAI42 (4.4%)
→0.0%prior 42
8
JEEP35 (3.7%)
↓-30.0%prior 50
9
MAZDA22 (2.3%)
↓-4.3%prior 23
10
BMW20 (2.1%)
↑17.6%prior 17

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

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

Sex Distribution (904 persons with recorded sex)

Male508 (56.2%)
↓-20.3%prior 637
Female394 (43.6%)
↓-7.5%prior 426
X / Unspecified2 (0.2%)

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

Speed Limit Zones

The number of crashes with a recorded speed limit was significantly higher in January 2025 (466 crashes) compared to January 2024 (178 crashes), making direct distributional comparisons challenging. In January 2025, one fatal crash occurred in a 30 mph zone, whereas no fatal crashes were recorded in any speed zone in January 2024. Among reported incidents, crashes in 25 mph zones increased substantially from 3 to 242, and crashes in 30 mph zones increased from 113 to 151.

Fatal crashes by zone: 30 mph: 1 of 151 (0.662%)

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

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2025-01-01 through 2025-01-31 (31 days)
  • Geographic scope: WORCESTER, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 487
  • Total persons involved: 1,109
  • Total vehicles involved: 949

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