Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Massachusetts in 2021

State in United States

Deaths, 2021
413
Fatal crashes
393
Population
7M

In 2021, 413 people died in 393 fatal crashes in Massachusetts. That was 20.4% more than in 2020 (343) and the most since 2007. The death rate was 5.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. Massachusetts had the 32nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 49th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 18% of deaths, and 32% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

5.9

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

  • About half the rate in the United States: 13.0

+20%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

343 deaths in 2020, 413 in 2021

  • The United States: +11%

Massachusetts traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

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

Road users

Who died

18%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2021
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 259
Pedestrians 74
Motorcyclists 75
Cyclists 5
Embed
Download CSV
Deaths by type, 2021
Type Deaths Share in Massachusetts Share in the US
Pedestrians 74 18% 17%
Motorcyclists 75 18% 14%
Cyclists 5 1% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 153 37% 31%
Speeding-related crashes 133 32% 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

32%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 28%

36%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.4 times the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2021
Category Massachusetts United States
Speeding-related 35.6% 26.3%
Alcohol-involved 31.6% 28.2%
At night 52.7% 53.9%
At weekends 31.8% 32.8%

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

Embed
Download CSV

Timing

When crashes happen

53%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

32%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 15
1am 19
2am 17
3am 11
4am 5
5am 8
6am 10
7am 6
8am 11
9am 8
10am 12
11am 16
12pm 27
1pm 21
2pm 18
3pm 15
4pm 23
5pm 19
6pm 22
7pm 23
8pm 22
9pm 23
10pm 17
11pm 25

All crashes 2021.

Embed
Download CSV
Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 54
Mon 45
Tue 59
Wed 52
Thu 54
Fri 58
Sat 71

All crashes 2021.

Embed
Download CSV
Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 22
Feb 18
Mar 25
Apr 35
May 34
Jun 40
Jul 28
Aug 44
Sep 37
Oct 31
Nov 35
Dec 44

All crashes 2021.

Embed
Download CSV

Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 288
Cloudy 47
Rain 28
Snow 5
Fog, Smog, Smoke 4
Sleet or Hail 2

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

Embed
Download CSV
Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 183
Dark - Lighted 117
Dark - Not Lighted 60
Dusk 11
Dark - Unknown Lighting 7
Dawn 4

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

Embed
Download CSV

Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2021

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-9314
  2. I-49513
  3. I-9011
  4. I-9511
  5. US-16
  6. I-1955
  7. I-915
  8. SR-24
  9. EAST ST4
  10. I-2904

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 243
SUVs 137
Motorcycles 74
Pickup trucks 45
Medium and heavy trucks 35
Other vehicles 22
Vans 20
Buses 3
Other light trucks 2

All crashes 2021.

Embed
Download CSV

Vehicles most often involved

  1. Toyota Corolla20
  2. Honda Accord18
  3. Honda Civic16
  4. Toyota Camry15
  5. Toyota RAV412
  6. Subaru Forester11
  7. Honda CR-V9
  8. Hyundai Elantra9
  9. Nissan Altima9
  10. Ford F-1508

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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Jan 26, 2021 Duxbury, Plymouth County 1
Jan 25, 2021 Weston, Middlesex County 1
Jan 24, 2021 Weymouth, Norfolk County 1
Jan 23, 2021 Marshfield, Plymouth County 1
Jan 22, 2021 Plainville, Norfolk County 1
Jan 21, 2021 Falmouth, Barnstable County 1
Jan 18, 2021 Stoughton, Norfolk County 1
Jan 17, 2021 Gardner, Worcester County 1
Jan 16, 2021 Rehoboth, Bristol County 1
Jan 13, 2021 Oxford, Worcester County 1
Jan 13, 2021 Somerset, Bristol County 1
Jan 9, 2021 Melrose Highlands, Middlesex County 1
Jan 8, 2021 Plymouth, Plymouth County 1
Jan 8, 2021 Wellesley, Norfolk County 1
Jan 8, 2021 Ayer, Middlesex County 1
Jan 7, 2021 Marion, Plymouth County 1
Jan 5, 2021 Boston, Suffolk County 1
Jan 2, 2021 Springfield, Hampden County 1

Download these crashes as CSV

Explore

Nearby and related

Counties in Massachusetts in 2021

Area Deaths, 2021 Per 100,000
Barnstable County 19 8.2
Berkshire County 10 7.7
Bristol County 46 7.9
Dukes County 1 4.7
Essex County 40 5.0
Franklin County 7 9.9
Hampden County 59 12.8
Hampshire County 5 3.0
Middlesex County 57 3.5
Nantucket County 0 —
Norfolk County 37 5.1
Plymouth County 37 6.9
Suffolk County 36 4.6
Worcester County 59 6.8

Compare Massachusetts with another place

Get updates for Massachusetts

We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for 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), 2021. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.