Fatal crash profile · County

Traffic deaths in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

County in Massachusetts · United States

Deaths, 2024
55
Fatal crashes
54
Population
1.7M

In 2024, 55 people died in 54 fatal crashes in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. That was 27.9% more than in 2023 (43) and the most since 2022. The death rate was 3.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 5.1 in Massachusetts and 11.5 in the United States. Middlesex County had the most traffic deaths of any county in Massachusetts. Between 2020 and 2024, 276 people died, an average of 55 a year. Pedestrians accounted for 18% of deaths, and 26% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

3.3

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024

  • About two-thirds of the rate in Massachusetts: 5.1
  • About 30 percent of the rate in the United States: 11.5

3.4

average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024

  • About two-thirds of the average in Massachusetts: 5.4
  • About 30 percent of the average in the United States: 12.3

+28%

change in deaths from 2023 to 2024

43 deaths in 2023, 55 in 2024

  • Massachusetts: +6%
  • The United States: -4%
Traffic deaths by year, 2020–2024
Category Deaths Fatal crashes
2020 46 44
2021 57 57
2022 75 74
2023 43 40
2024 55 54

People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.

Embed
Download CSV
Deaths per 100,000 residents, 2020–2024
Category Deaths per 100,000
2020 2.8
2021 3.5
2022 4.6
2023 2.6
2024 3.3

Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.

Embed
Download CSV

Road users

Who died

18%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 85 percent of the share in Massachusetts: 21%
  • About the same as the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2024
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 35
Pedestrians 10
Motorcyclists 7
Cyclists 3
Embed
Download CSV
Deaths by type, 2024
Type Deaths Share in Middlesex County Share in Massachusetts
Pedestrians 10 18% 21%
Motorcyclists 7 13% 19%
Cyclists 3 5% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 13 24% 28%
Speeding-related crashes 14 25% 29%

Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.

Crash factors

Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes

26%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About the same as the share in Massachusetts: 28%
  • About the same as the share in the United States: 28%

24%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 90 percent of the share in Massachusetts: 27%
  • About the same as the share in the United States: 25%
Crash factors in 2024
Category Middlesex County Massachusetts United States
Speeding-related 24.1% 27.2% 24.8%
Alcohol-involved 25.9% 27.5% 28.1%
At night 40.7% 46.4% 53.6%
At weekends 33.3% 34.4% 32.6%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

Embed
Download CSV

Timing

When crashes happen

41%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About 90 percent of the share in Massachusetts: 46%
  • About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 54%

33%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in Massachusetts: 34%
  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 8
1am 9
2am 10
3am 4
4am 6
5am 9
6am 10
7am 2
8am 8
9am 10
10am 8
11am 7
12pm 18
1pm 14
2pm 11
3pm 12
4pm 14
5pm 19
6pm 17
7pm 12
8pm 15
9pm 17
10pm 13
11pm 15

All crashes 2020–2024.

Embed
Download CSV
Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 46
Mon 31
Tue 39
Wed 32
Thu 43
Fri 40
Sat 38

All crashes 2020–2024.

Embed
Download CSV
Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 24
Feb 22
Mar 18
Apr 24
May 21
Jun 23
Jul 18
Aug 33
Sep 15
Oct 26
Nov 22
Dec 23

All crashes 2020–2024.

Embed
Download CSV

Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 190
Cloudy 38
Rain 27
Snow 6
Freezing Rain or Drizzle 1
Fog, Smog, Smoke 1

All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

Embed
Download CSV
Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 131
Dark - Lighted 79
Dark - Not Lighted 39
Dusk 9
Dawn 5
Dark - Unknown Lighting 3

All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

Embed
Download CSV

Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2020–2024

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-49517
  2. I-9313
  3. I-905
  4. I-495 N4
  5. I-954
  6. US-34
  7. SR-113 PAWTUCKET BLVD3
  8. FRANKLIN ST3
  9. I-95 S3
  10. LAKEVIEW AVE3

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 171
SUVs 99
Motorcycles 39
Medium and heavy trucks 36
Pickup trucks 34
Vans 14
Other vehicles 6
Buses 1

All crashes 2020–2024.

Embed
Download CSV

Vehicles most often involved

  1. Honda Civic14
  2. Toyota Corolla11
  3. Chevrolet Silverado10
  4. Toyota Camry10
  5. Toyota RAV410
  6. Honda Accord9
  7. Honda CR-V8
  8. Hyundai Elantra7
  9. Nissan Rogue7
  10. Jeep Wrangler6

Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.

Crashes

Fatal crashes

The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.

Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Jan 20, 2024 Dracut 1
Jan 12, 2024 North Billerica 1
Jan 7, 2024 Littleton 1
Jan 2, 2024 Hopkinton 1
Dec 28, 2023 Littleton 1
Dec 15, 2023 Townsend 1
Dec 13, 2023 Stoneham 1
Dec 9, 2023 Waltham 1
Dec 6, 2023 Waltham 2
Oct 29, 2023 Wakefield 1
Oct 19, 2023 Ashby 1
Oct 19, 2023 Malden 1
Oct 14, 2023 Lexington 2
Oct 4, 2023 Chelmsford 1
Oct 1, 2023 Lowell 1
Sep 28, 2023 Woburn 1
Sep 7, 2023 Watertown 1
Aug 29, 2023 Woburn 1
Aug 28, 2023 Newton 1
Aug 28, 2023 Newton 1
Aug 25, 2023 Everett 1
Aug 17, 2023 Littleton 1
Aug 16, 2023 East Billerica 1
Jul 27, 2023 Malden 1
Jul 17, 2023 Winchester 1

Download these crashes as CSV

Explore

Nearby and related

Get updates for Middlesex County, Massachusetts

We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for Middlesex County, Massachusetts, usually about once a year. We'll send a link to confirm your address first. No tracking and no sharing, and every email has a link to unsubscribe.

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.