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 · SOUTH 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
SOUTH DAKOTA
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, the state recorded 14 fatal crashes, an increase from 11 fatal crashes in September 2022. The number of fatalities rose from 13 to 15 year-over-year. A notable shift was observed in fatal crashes occurring under "Dark - Not Lighted" conditions, which increased from 3 in the prior period to 8 in the current period.
14
▲ 27.3%was 11
Total Crash Events
15
▲ 15.4%was 13
Persons Killed
8
▼ -20.0%was 10
Persons Injured
14
▲ 27.3%was 11
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 September 2023 increased to 14, up from 11 fatal crashes in September 2022. Concurrently, total fatalities rose from 13 to 15, while total injuries decreased from 10 to 8 during the same period.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
3
Pedestrians Killed
12
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
8
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 temporal distribution of fatal crashes showed shifts between the two periods. While Saturday remained the peak day for fatal crashes, increasing from 5 to 6, the peak hour shifted from 10 PM in September 2022 to 2 AM in September 2023. Notably, fatal crashes on Tuesday increased from 0 to 3, while fatal crashes on Wednesday decreased from 2 to 0.
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
In September 2023, the majority of fatal crashes, 10 of 14, occurred in Clear weather conditions, an increase from 9 of 11 fatal crashes in the prior year. A significant shift was observed in lighting conditions, with fatal crashes occurring in "Dark - Not Lighted" conditions increasing from 3 in September 2022 to 8 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes in Daylight conditions decreased from 8 to 4 year-over-year.
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 (19 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Sex Distribution (30 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 occurred across a wider range of speed zones in September 2023 compared to the prior year. Fatal crashes at 55 mph decreased from 6 to 5, and at 65 mph decreased from 3 to 1. Fatal crashes at 35 mph increased from 1 to 2, and new fatal crashes were recorded at 25 mph (1), 45 mph (2), and 80 mph (3) in the current period.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 35 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 45 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 55 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 65 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 80 mph: 3 of 3 (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
The dominant manner of fatal collision in both periods was "The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport," increasing from 7 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 10 in September 2023. Angle collisions also increased from 2 to 3 fatal crashes. Front-to-Front collisions decreased from 2 to 1 fatal crash year-over-year.
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 Pickup and Two Wheel Motorcycle remained among the dominant vehicle body types involved in fatal crashes, with 3 instances each in both periods. Fatal crashes involving 4-door sedans decreased from 3 to 2, and Truck-tractors also decreased from 3 to 2. The current period saw new involvement from Large utility (2), Station Wagon (2), and Motor Scooter (1) body types.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 11 reported. 2 additional (2 total) not shown: Compact Utility (Utility Vehicle Categories "Small" and "Midsize"), Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
The majority of fatal crashes in both periods occurred on rural trafficways, accounting for 12 of 14 fatal crashes in September 2023, up from 10 of 11 fatal crashes in September 2022. Fatal crashes on urban trafficways increased from 1 to 2. Rural roads continue to carry a disproportionate share of fatalities, with 85.7% of fatal crashes occurring in rural areas in the current period.
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, Minor Arterial roads became the most frequent functional class for fatal crashes, increasing from 2 to 4, while fatal crashes on Major Collector roads decreased from 4 to 2. Fatal crashes on Local roads increased from 2 to 3. Interstate roads, which had no fatal crashes in the prior period, recorded 3 fatal crashes in the current period.
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 and County Highway Agencies continued to be the primary owners of trafficways where fatal crashes occurred. Fatal crashes on State Highway Agency roads increased from 5 to 7, and on County Highway Agency roads increased from 4 to 5. A fatal crash occurred on a City or Municipal Highway Agency road in the current period, which was not observed in the prior period.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 15 in September 2022 to 18 in September 2023. The number of passengers involved remained stable at 9. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes increased from 1 to 3 year-over-year.
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 persons with fatal injuries (K) increased from 13 to 15 between the prior and current periods. Persons with serious injuries (A) decreased from 7 to 4, while those with minor injuries (B) remained at 3. The count of persons with no injuries (O) rose from 2 to 7.
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 for whom "None Used/Not Applicable" safety equipment was recorded in fatal crashes increased from 11 in September 2022 to 14 in September 2023. Concurrently, the count of persons using "Shoulder and Lap Belt Used" increased from 9 to 13. The "Reported as Unknown" category from the prior period is not present in the current data.
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" remained the most common point of impact in fatal crashes, increasing from 6 instances in September 2022 to 7 in September 2023. "Non-Collision" events also increased from 2 to 4. Impacts at the "11 Clock Point" increased from 1 to 3, while other specific impact points varied between the periods.
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
Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 7 in September 2022 to 9 in September 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes also increased from 4 to 5 during the same period. This indicates an increase in both single and multi-vehicle fatal crash 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: South Dakota
- Total crash records analyzed: 14
- Total persons involved: 30
- Total vehicles involved: 19
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). "South 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/south-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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