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
Road users
Who died
18%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About the same as the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 259 |
| Pedestrians | 74 |
| Motorcyclists | 75 |
| Cyclists | 5 |
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| 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%
| 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.
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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%
| 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.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 54 |
| Mon | 45 |
| Tue | 59 |
| Wed | 52 |
| Thu | 54 |
| Fri | 58 |
| Sat | 71 |
All crashes 2021.
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| 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.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| 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.
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| 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.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2021
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-9314
- I-49513
- I-9011
- I-9511
- US-16
- I-1955
- I-915
- SR-24
- EAST ST4
- I-2904
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| 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.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Toyota Corolla20
- Honda Accord18
- Honda Civic16
- Toyota Camry15
- Toyota RAV412
- Subaru Forester11
- Honda CR-V9
- Hyundai Elantra9
- Nissan Altima9
- Ford F-1508
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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2021 | Town of Dighton, Bristol County | BURT ST | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Chilmark, Dukes County | SOUTH RD | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Fall River, Bristol County | RHODE ISLAND AVE | 1 |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Wilmington, Middlesex County | I-93 | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Medford, Middlesex County | SR-16 MYSTIC VALLEY PKWY | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Newton, Middlesex County | I-95 | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Boston, Suffolk County | HUMBOLDT AVE | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Peabody, Essex County | WASHINGTON ST | 1 |
| Aug 25, 2021 | Boston, Suffolk County | CORNELL ST | 1 |
| Aug 24, 2021 | Bedford, Middlesex County | SHAWSHEEN RD | 1 |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Holyoke, Hampden County | I-91 S | 3 |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Ludlow, Hampden County | CHAPIN ST | 1 |
| Aug 21, 2021 | Springfield, Hampden County | SR-187 PINE ST | 1 |
| Aug 21, 2021 | Canton, Norfolk County | NEPONSET ST | 1 |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Marlborough, Middlesex County | I-290 | 1 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | Worcester, Worcester County | SR-70 LINCOLN ST | 1 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | Rehoboth, Bristol County | TREMONT ST | 1 |
| Aug 18, 2021 | West Boylston, Worcester County | SR-110 STERLING ST | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Bourne, Barnstable County | MAIN ST | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Raynham Center, Bristol County | BRITANNIA ST | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Falmouth, Barnstable County | SANDWHICH RD | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Stoneham, Middlesex County | SR-28 N MAIN ST | 1 |
| Aug 16, 2021 | Harwich, Barnstable County | OLD CHATHAM RD | 1 |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Hanson, Plymouth County | MONPONSETT ST | 2 |
| Aug 13, 2021 | Winthrop, Suffolk County | PAULINE ST | 1 |
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 |
Rankings
Nearby states
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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.