Car accident statistics for Middlesex County, Massachusetts (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Middlesex County by year

Car accident deaths in Middlesex County ranged from 38 to 64 each year between 2020 and 2024. The county recorded 42 deaths in 2020, 48 in 2021, 64 in 2022, 38 in 2023, and 51 in 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The highest year was 2022, with 64 car accident deaths, and the lowest was 2023, with 38. Deaths in 2024 were 9 higher than in 2020, moving from 42 to 51 over that span.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.

Who died in Middlesex County car accidents

Among the 243 car accident deaths recorded in Middlesex County from 2020 through 2024, People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 162 deaths, a share of 66.7%, the majority of the total. People in other vehicles accounted for 23 deaths, a share of 9.5%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 58 deaths, a share of 23.9%, over the same five years.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

How the fatal car crashes happened

Of the 243 car accident deaths recorded in Middlesex County from 2020 through 2024, Angle (side impact) collisions accounted for 27 deaths, Head-on collisions for 30, Rear-end collisions for 18, and Sideswipe collisions for 7. Other manners of collision accounted for 1 death.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The largest category, Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport, accounted for 160 deaths, a share of 65.8%, the majority of the total. This row covers crashes whose first harmful event was not a collision between motor vehicles in transport, including striking a nonoccupant, a parked vehicle or a fixed object, or a rollover.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Time of day and setting

Car accident deaths in Middlesex County split closely between times of day: 120 deaths, a share of 49.4%, occurred in daytime hours, and 122 deaths, a share of 50.2%, occurred at night, with 1 death at an unknown time.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Urban land use accounted for 241 deaths, a share of 99.2%, while rural land use accounted for 2 deaths, a share of 0.8%. Car accident deaths in crashes that also involved a large truck numbered 21, a share of 8.6% of all car accident deaths in the county.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Car accident death rate compared with Massachusetts and the United States

Middlesex County recorded an average annual rate of 3.0 car accident deaths per 100,000 residents from 2020 through 2024. That rate is lower than the Massachusetts rate of 4.7 and lower than the national rate of 10.5.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, Worcester County, Massachusetts recorded a rate of 5.5, Norfolk County, Massachusetts recorded 5.0, Essex County, Massachusetts recorded 3.7, and Hillsborough County, New Hampshire recorded 5.4. Middlesex County's rate of 3.0 is lower than each of these. The rate reflects average annual deaths per 100,000 residents and does not adjust for miles driven or for visitors to the county.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.

Recorded characteristics of all fatal crashes

Looking at all fatal crashes in Middlesex County from 2020 through 2024, regardless of vehicle type, Roadway departure was recorded in 146 deaths, a share of 52.9% of all traffic deaths, the majority. Speeding-related factors were recorded in 79 deaths, a share of 28.6%, and crashes at an intersection were recorded in 71 deaths, a share of 25.7%.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Pedestrian involvement was recorded in 60 deaths, a share of 21.7%, and motorcycle involvement in 39 deaths, a share of 14.1%. Driver distraction was reported in 30 deaths, a share of 10.9%, hit-and-run crashes in 9 deaths, a share of 3.3%, and crashes in a work zone in 7 deaths, a share of 2.5%. These characteristics can overlap within a single crash, so the rows do not add to 100%, and they are recorded characteristics, not findings of fault or cause.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

A crash can carry several characteristics, so the rows overlap and do not add to 100%. These are recorded characteristics, not findings of fault.

About these figures

These figures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes on public trafficways where a death occurs within 30 days of the crash. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are not part of this count.^[8][6][7]

Deaths are grouped by the county where the crash occurred rather than by where the people killed lived. Data for 2020 through 2023 come from FARS Final Files, while the 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and may change when NHTSA issues the Final File. Rates divide the 2020 to 2024 deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates for those years, producing an average annual rate per 100,000 residents that does not account for miles driven or visitors.^[8][6][7]

See also

• Car accident statistics for Norfolk County, Massachusetts (2020-2024)
• Car accident statistics for Worcester County, Massachusetts (2020-2024)
• Car accident statistics for Essex County, Massachusetts (2020-2024)
• Massachusetts car accident statistics (2020-2024)