15,279 CRASHES IN
CLEVELAND, OH
2021

Motorists accounted for the highest number of casualties, with 55 killed and 7,504 injured. Pedestrians represented a significant vulnerable user group, with 14 killed and 191 injured. There were no cyclist fatalities or injuries reported in the data.

Crashes in Cleveland in 2021 peaked on Fridays with 2,541 incidents and during the 4 PM hour with 1,271 crashes. The data indicates that most crashes occurred during daylight hours, with 9,360 incidents, compared to 4,715 incidents occurring in dark conditions (lighted or unlighted roadways).

Of the 15,279 crashes in 2021, 68% resulted in no injury, while 31.6% involved some level of injury. There were 65 fatal crashes recorded, but these incidents resulted in a total of 69 fatalities, highlighting that a single crash can unfortunately lead to multiple deaths.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 65 fatal crash events resulted in 69 persons killed.

The majority of crashes in 2021 occurred under clear weather conditions (9,620 incidents), on dry road surfaces (11,754 incidents), and during daylight hours (9,360 incidents). However, adverse conditions also contributed to a significant number of crashes, with 1,862 incidents occurring during rain or snow, and 3,084 incidents on wet or snowy road surfaces.

Drivers aged 26-34 were the most represented group in crash data, with 6,327 individuals. Passenger cars were the most frequently involved vehicle type, accounting for 15,469 vehicles. Among specific makes, Chevrolet (3,696 vehicles) and Ford (3,561 vehicles) were most often involved in crashes.

The vast majority of crashes, 13,770 incidents, occurred directly on the roadway. A total of 737 crashes, representing 4.8% of identified locations, occurred off the travel lanes, specifically on the roadside (353), on the shoulder (326), or in the median (58).

Among vehicles involved in crashes, 16,710 were at locations with no traffic control, making it the dominant type of location. Signalized locations accounted for 10,653 vehicle involvements, while stop signs were present for 1,889 vehicle involvements.

The leading contributing factors identified were 'Other Improper Action' (4,890 instances), 'Following too Close / ACDA' (2,540 instances), and 'Failure to Yield' (1,741 instances). These three factors collectively accounted for 62.4% of all identified contributing factors.

Crashes involved 1,025 commercial vehicles, which represents 3.4% of all vehicles in the data. This total included 741 'Other Commercial Vehicle' types and 284 'Semi-Tractor Trailer' types.

A total of 324 vulnerable road users (pedestrians and bicyclists) were involved in crashes, representing 0.9% of all persons in the data. This included 217 pedestrians and 107 bicyclists.

Animal-related crashes accounted for 52 incidents, representing 0.34% of all crashes. Of these, 42 involved deer, while 10 involved other types of animals.

Impaired driving was a factor in 456 crashes, accounting for 2.98% of all incidents. Alcohol impairment was identified in 320 crashes, while drugs were a factor in 67 crashes, and both alcohol and drugs were involved in 69 crashes.

Abnormal driver conditions were identified in 696 instances, representing 2.65% of all drivers. The most frequent abnormal conditions included drivers under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol (397 instances), and emotional states (125 instances).

Driver distraction was identified in 552 instances, accounting for 2.1% of all drivers. The most common forms of distraction were 'Other distraction outside the vehicle' (226 instances) and 'Other distraction inside the vehicle' (151 instances).

The majority of crashes (13,795 incidents) occurred on straight, level road alignments. Crashes on curves (level or grade) totaled 631 incidents, while crashes on grades (straight or curve) totaled 891 incidents, representing 4.17% and 5.9% of identified alignments, respectively.

The most frequent pre-crash actions reported were 'Straight Ahead' (14,092 instances), 'Slowing or Stopped In Traffic' (3,822 instances), and 'Making Left Turn' (2,340 instances). These three actions represent 74.4% of all identified pre-crash actions.

The dominant crash patterns were 'Rear-end' collisions, accounting for 3,760 incidents, and 'Angle' collisions, with 3,601 incidents. Additionally, 2,549 crashes were classified as 'Not Collision Between Two Vehicles in Transport', indicating single-vehicle or non-motorist incidents.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, totaling 15,469 vehicles. Sport utility vehicles followed with 6,074 involvements. Commercial and heavy vehicles, including single unit trucks, semi-tractors, buses, and cargo vans, collectively accounted for 1,315 vehicles.

Drivers constituted the largest group of persons involved in crashes, with 26,218 individuals, representing 74.8% of all persons. Occupants accounted for 8,581 individuals, while pedestrians were involved in 230 incidents.

Among all persons involved in crashes, 69 individuals sustained fatal injuries, and 7,695 individuals sustained some level of injury (serious, minor, or possible). This means 0.2% of persons suffered fatal injuries and 21.97% suffered non-fatal injuries.

Safety equipment usage was recorded for 24,387 persons, with 21,670 individuals using both shoulder and lap belts. However, 1,577 individuals were recorded as using no safety equipment, representing 6.47% of those with identified usage.

The majority of crashes involved two vehicles, totaling 12,148 incidents or 79.5% of all crashes. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 2,048 incidents (13.4%), while multi-vehicle crashes involving three or more vehicles occurred in 1,083 incidents.