Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · NORTH DAKOTA · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
14 CRASHES IN
NORTH DAKOTA
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, North Dakota experienced 14 fatal crashes, an increase from the 12 fatal crashes recorded in September 2022. The number of fatalities also rose from 12 in September 2022 to 15 in September 2023. This represents an increase of 2 fatal crashes and 3 fatalities year-over-year.
14
▲ 16.7%was 12
Total Crash Events
15
▲ 25.0%was 12
Persons Killed
35
▲ 337.5%was 8
Persons Injured
14
▲ 16.7%was 12
Fatal Crash Events
Note: "Persons Killed" (15) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (14) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in North Dakota increased year-over-year, rising from 12 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 14 fatal crashes in September 2023. Concurrently, the number of fatalities also increased, with 12 fatalities in the prior period and 15 fatalities in the current period.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
2
Pedestrians Killed
13
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
35
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The distribution of fatal crashes across days of the week shifted year-over-year; in September 2022, Thursday had the most fatal crashes with 4, while in September 2023, Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday each recorded 3 fatal crashes. The peak hour for fatal crashes also changed, moving from 9 AM with 3 crashes in September 2022 to 12 AM with 4 crashes in September 2023.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Clear weather was the most common condition for fatal crashes in both periods, with 9 fatal crashes in September 2023 and 9 fatal crashes in September 2022. Cloudy conditions saw a decrease from 2 fatal crashes in the prior period to 1 in the current period. Regarding lighting, daylight fatal crashes decreased from 7 in September 2022 to 4 in September 2023, while fatal crashes in dark-lighted conditions increased from 1 to 3.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Top Vehicle Makes (20 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Sex Distribution (52 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes at a 55 mph speed limit decreased from 6 in September 2022 to 2 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes at a 65 mph speed limit increased from 3 in the prior period to 4 in the current period. Fatal crashes at 35 mph remained consistent at 1 in the prior period and 2 in the current period.
Fatal crashes by zone: 35 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 40 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 50 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 55 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 65 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 70 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 75 mph: 1 of 1 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
In September 2023, the most frequent manner of collision was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport' with 7 fatal crashes, an increase from 4 such crashes in September 2022. Angle collisions remained a significant factor, with 5 fatal crashes in the current period compared to 4 in the prior period. Front-to-Front collisions, which accounted for 2 fatal crashes in September 2022, were not observed in September 2023.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
Light Pickups were involved in 7 fatal crashes in September 2023, an increase from 4 in September 2022. Two-wheel motorcycles were involved in 3 fatal crashes in the current period, a decrease from 4 in the prior period. Truck-tractors were involved in 3 fatal crashes in September 2022 but only 1 in September 2023.
Vehicle Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
In September 2023, 11 fatal crashes occurred in rural areas, an increase from 9 rural fatal crashes in September 2022. Urban fatal crashes remained consistent at 3 in both periods. The majority of fatal crashes continue to occur in rural settings, which often feature higher speeds and longer emergency response times.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
In September 2023, 'Other Principal Arterial' roads accounted for 5 fatal crashes, an increase from 3 'Principal Arterial - Other' fatal crashes in September 2022. Major Collector roads saw a decrease from 4 fatal crashes in the prior period to 3 in the current period. Interstate fatal crashes remained consistent at 2 in September 2022 and 1 in September 2023.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies were associated with 7 fatal crashes in September 2023, an increase from 4 in September 2022. County Highway Agencies saw a decrease in fatal crashes from 5 in the prior period to 2 in the current period. City or Municipal Highway Agencies remained consistent with 2 fatal crashes in September 2022 and 3 in September 2023.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers were the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, with 20 drivers in September 2023, consistent with 20 drivers in September 2022. Passengers involved in fatal crashes increased from 3 in the prior period to 30 in the current period. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes increased from 1 in September 2022 to 2 in September 2023.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of fatal injuries (K) increased from 12 in September 2022 to 15 in September 2023. Minor injuries (B) saw an increase from 8 in the prior period to 11 in the current period. Additionally, serious injuries (A) were recorded at 20 in September 2023, which were not present in the prior period's data.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' decreased from 12 in September 2022 to 6 in September 2023. Conversely, persons with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment increased from 9 in the prior period to 39 in the current period. This indicates a notable shift towards non-use of safety equipment among persons involved in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' was the most common point of impact in both periods, with 10 occurrences in September 2022 and 11 in September 2023. 'Non-Collision' impacts decreased from 2 in the prior period to 1 in the current period. Left-Front Side impacts were recorded at 2 in September 2023, but not explicitly in the prior period.
Point of Impact
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Fatal crashes involving 1 vehicle increased from 4 in September 2022 to 8 in September 2023. Fatal crashes involving 2 vehicles decreased from 8 in the prior period to 6 in the current period. Single-vehicle fatal crashes now represent the majority of events.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS 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: NHTSA FARS 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: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: North Dakota
- Total crash records analyzed: 14
- Total persons involved: 52
- Total vehicles involved: 20
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). "North Dakota Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/north-dakota/fatal/statewide/september-2023-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
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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