Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Massachusetts in 2020

State in United States

Deaths, 2020
343
Fatal crashes
327
Population
7M

In 2020, 343 people died in 327 fatal crashes in Massachusetts. The death rate was 4.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.8 in the United States. Massachusetts had the 32nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 51st-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 15% of deaths, and 29% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

4.9

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020

  • About 40 percent of the rate in the United States: 11.8

Massachusetts traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

15%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2020
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 226
Pedestrians 52
Motorcyclists 55
Cyclists 10
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Deaths by type, 2020
Type Deaths Share in Massachusetts Share in the US
Pedestrians 52 15% 17%
Motorcyclists 55 16% 14%
Cyclists 10 3% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 98 29% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 101 29% 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

29%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 29%

26%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 27%
Crash factors in 2020
Category Massachusetts United States
Speeding-related 25.7% 26.7%
Alcohol-involved 29.1% 28.6%
At night 48.9% 53.4%
At weekends 36.4% 32.9%

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

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Timing

When crashes happen

49%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 53%

36%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 12
1am 7
2am 10
3am 8
4am 11
5am 10
6am 10
7am 9
8am 5
9am 10
10am 9
11am 12
12pm 13
1pm 18
2pm 20
3pm 24
4pm 21
5pm 14
6pm 22
7pm 11
8pm 19
9pm 17
10pm 16
11pm 17

All crashes 2020.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 55
Mon 38
Tue 43
Wed 40
Thu 44
Fri 43
Sat 64

All crashes 2020.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 18
Feb 16
Mar 28
Apr 27
May 20
Jun 36
Jul 34
Aug 35
Sep 26
Oct 25
Nov 36
Dec 26

All crashes 2020.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 239
Cloudy 46
Rain 24
Snow 4
Sleet or Hail 2
Fog, Smog, Smoke 1

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

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Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 168
Dark - Lighted 71
Dark - Not Lighted 57
Dusk 10
Dark - Unknown Lighting 8
Dawn 7

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

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2020

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-195 E7
  2. I-495 N6
  3. I-93 N6
  4. I-95 N5
  5. SR-24 S5
  6. I-495 S4
  7. SCHOOL ST4
  8. SR-24
  9. SR-24 N4
  10. MAIN ST3

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 219
SUVs 118
Motorcycles 56
Pickup trucks 33
Medium and heavy trucks 29
Other vehicles 17
Vans 15

All crashes 2020.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Honda Civic15
  2. Honda Accord13
  3. Nissan Rogue12
  4. Honda CR-V10
  5. Hyundai Sonata10
  6. Toyota Corolla10
  7. Ford Escape9
  8. Chevrolet Silverado8
  9. Jeep Wrangler8
  10. Toyota RAV48

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

Crashes

Fatal crashes

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Fatal crashes in 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Nov 12, 2020 New Bedford, Bristol County 1
Nov 10, 2020 Boston, Suffolk County 1
Nov 9, 2020 Springfield, Hampden County 1
Nov 8, 2020 Plymouth, Plymouth County 1
Nov 7, 2020 Abington, Plymouth County 1
Nov 7, 2020 Quincy, Norfolk County 1
Nov 6, 2020 Fall River, Bristol County 1
Nov 4, 2020 Westborough, Worcester County 1
Nov 4, 2020 Sherborn, Middlesex County 1
Nov 3, 2020 Somerville, Middlesex County 1
Nov 2, 2020 Quincy, Norfolk County 1
Nov 1, 2020 Boston, Suffolk County 1
Oct 31, 2020 Salisbury, Essex County 1
Oct 30, 2020 North Adams, Berkshire County 1
Oct 29, 2020 Worcester, Worcester County 1
Oct 27, 2020 South Hadley, Hampshire County 1
Oct 26, 2020 Essex County 1
Oct 23, 2020 Springfield, Hampden County 2
Oct 22, 2020 Westhampton, Hampshire County 1
Oct 21, 2020 Springfield, Hampden County 1
Oct 19, 2020 Boston, Suffolk County 1
Oct 18, 2020 Town of Uxbridge, Worcester County 1
Oct 15, 2020 Ashland, Middlesex County 1
Oct 14, 2020 Milton, Norfolk County 1
Oct 14, 2020 Wilmington, Middlesex County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in Massachusetts in 2020

Area Deaths, 2020 Per 100,000
Barnstable County 12 5.3
Berkshire County 15 11.6
Bristol County 48 8.3
Dukes County 1 4.9
Essex County 40 5.0
Franklin County 4 5.6
Hampden County 44 9.5
Hampshire County 6 4.0
Middlesex County 46 2.8
Nantucket County 1 7.0
Norfolk County 44 6.1
Plymouth County 30 5.7
Suffolk County 19 2.4
Worcester County 33 3.9

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