Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · IOWA · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
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GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/iowa/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
26 CRASHES IN
IOWA
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, there were 26 fatal crashes, a decrease of 16.1% compared to the 31 fatal crashes recorded in September 2022. Total fatalities also decreased from 33 to 28, representing a 15.2% reduction. The most notable year-over-year shift was a 300% increase in pedestrians killed, rising from 1 in the prior period to 4 in the current period.
26
▼ -16.1%was 31
Total Crash Events
28
▼ -15.2%was 33
Persons Killed
15
▼ -6.3%was 16
Persons Injured
26
▼ -16.1%was 31
Fatal Crash Events
Note: "Persons Killed" (28) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (26) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes decreased by 16.1%, from 31 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 26 fatal crashes in September 2023. Concurrently, total fatalities also saw a decline, dropping by 15.2% from 33 to 28 over the same period. This indicates a downward trend in fatal crash incidents and associated fatalities year-over-year.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
4
Pedestrians Killed
24
Motorists Killed
0
Pedestrians Injured
15
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
Saturday remained the peak day for fatal crashes in both periods, with 9 fatal crashes in September 2023 compared to 8 in September 2022. The peak hour for fatal crashes remained 8 PM, though the number of fatal crashes at this hour decreased from 6 in the prior period to 3 in the current period. Overall, temporal patterns show consistency in peak days but a reduction in peak hour activity.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Clear weather remained the most common condition for fatal crashes, accounting for 21 fatal crashes in September 2023, a slight decrease from 22 in the prior year. There was a notable shift in lighting conditions, with fatal crashes occurring in daylight increasing from 9 in September 2022 to 16 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes in dark, unlighted conditions decreased from 14 to 4 year-over-year.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Top Vehicle Makes (44 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Sex Distribution (55 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
The 55 mph speed limit zone continued to account for the highest number of fatal crashes, with 12 fatal crashes in September 2023, down from 16 in September 2022. Fatal crashes in zones between 50-60 mph collectively decreased from 18 to 13. Conversely, fatal crashes in 30-35 mph zones increased from 3 to 4, and those in 25 mph or less zones increased from 1 to 2.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 30 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 35 mph: 3 of 3 (100%) · 50 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 55 mph: 12 of 12 (100%) · 60 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 65 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 70 mph: 2 of 2 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
In September 2023, the most frequent manner of fatal collision was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' accounting for 12 fatal crashes, a decrease from 23 in the prior period. Angle collisions increased from 3 in September 2022 to 7 in September 2023. Front-to-Rear and Front-to-Front collisions remained consistent at 3 and 2 fatal crashes, respectively, in both periods.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
Light Pickup vehicles were involved in 10 fatal crashes in September 2023, an increase from 8 in the prior period, making it the most frequent body type. Four-door sedans were involved in 9 fatal crashes, up from 7. Motorcycles, a high-fatality category, were involved in 7 fatal crashes, an increase from 6 in September 2022.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 14 reported. 5 additional (5 total) not shown: Utility Vehicle, Unknown body type, Large utility (ANSI D16.1 Utility Vehicle Categories and "Full Size" and "Large"), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), Farm equipment other than trucks, Medium/Heavy Vehicle Based Motor Home.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
In September 2023, 20 fatal crashes occurred in rural areas, a decrease from 22 in September 2022, while 6 fatal crashes occurred in urban areas, down from 8. Rural roads continue to account for a disproportionate share of fatal crashes relative to urban areas, consistent with typical patterns where higher speeds and undivided roads contribute to greater severity.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
In September 2023, Major Collector roads accounted for the most fatal crashes with 7, an increase from 5 in the prior period. Other Principal Arterial roads saw 6 fatal crashes, while Interstate roads experienced 5 fatal crashes, an increase from 1 in September 2022. This indicates a shift in fatal crash distribution with a notable increase on Interstate roadways.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies were the most common roadway owner for fatal crashes in both periods, with 14 fatal crashes in September 2023, a slight increase from 13 in September 2022. Fatal crashes on County Highway Agency roads decreased from 8 to 6, and on City or Municipal Highway Agency roads from 5 to 1. Fatal crashes on Town or Township Highway Agency roads increased from 4 to 5.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers continued to be the dominant person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 41 in September 2022 to 44 in September 2023. Passengers involved in fatal crashes saw a significant decrease from 17 to 7. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes increased substantially from 1 in the prior period to 4 in the current period.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of persons sustaining fatal injuries (K) decreased from 33 in September 2022 to 28 in September 2023. Serious injuries (A) also decreased from 8 to 4, while minor injuries (B) slightly increased from 8 to 9. Additionally, 2 persons sustained possible injuries (C) in the current period, compared to none in the prior period.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The use of shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes increased from 24 persons in September 2022 to 27 persons in September 2023. Conversely, the number of persons reported with no safety equipment used decreased from 27 to 17. This suggests a positive shift towards increased safety equipment usage among those involved in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The 12 Clock Point (front impact) remained the most common point of impact in fatal crashes, increasing slightly from 21 in September 2022 to 22 in September 2023. Fatal crashes involving a 9 Clock Point (left side impact) increased from 2 to 4. Conversely, fatal crashes involving a 10 Clock Point (front-left impact) decreased from 5 to 3.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 3 smaller categories (4 records): Non-Collision (2), 4 Clock Point (1), 7 Clock Point (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes significantly decreased from 22 in September 2022 to 11 in September 2023. In contrast, two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 8 to 14. Additionally, one fatal crash involved 5 vehicles in the current period, while no such crashes were reported in the prior period.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: September 9, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Iowa
- Total crash records analyzed: 26
- Total persons involved: 55
- Total vehicles involved: 44
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Iowa Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published September 9, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/iowa/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: September 9, 2026 · All rights reserved