126 CRASHES IN
IOWA, IA
2015

In 2015, all reported traffic fatalities and injuries in Montgomery County involved motor vehicle occupants. One motorist was killed and 52 were injured in crashes. There were no recorded fatalities or injuries involving pedestrians or cyclists during this period.

Crashes in Montgomery County were most frequent on Wednesdays, which saw 23 incidents over the year. The afternoon commute hours were peak times for collisions, with both the 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. hours recording 13 crashes each. The majority of crashes, 91 out of 126, occurred during daylight hours.

Of the 126 total crashes, 69% (87 crashes) resulted in no injuries and were classified as property-damage-only. The remaining 31% involved some level of injury, including one fatal crash, 5 serious injury crashes, and 33 minor or possible injury crashes. The single fatal crash resulted in one fatality.

The leading contributing factor identified in crashes was 'Animal,' cited in 13 incidents (10.3%). This was followed by 'Followed too close' and 'Lost Control,' each contributing to 11 crashes (8.7% each). 'Ran Stop Sign' was another significant factor, noted in 9 crashes, or 7.1% of the total.

The majority of collisions occurred under ideal driving conditions, with 72.2% (91 crashes) happening in daylight. Similarly, 61.9% of crashes (78 incidents) took place on dry road surfaces, and 54% (68 incidents) occurred in clear weather. Adverse conditions were less frequent, with 13 crashes on wet roads and 7 on snow-covered surfaces.

Combining abbreviated and full names, Chevrolet was the most frequent vehicle make involved in crashes with 41 vehicles, followed by Ford with 36 and Dodge with 27. Among all persons involved in crashes, the 16-20 age group was the most represented with 47 individuals, followed by the 65+ age group with 41 individuals.

The most common major cause attributed to crashes was interactions with animals, accounting for 13 incidents. Following this, 'Followed too close' and 'Lost Control' were each cited as the major cause in 11 crashes. Running a stop sign was the cause for 9 crashes.

The most frequent first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in traffic, which occurred in 66 crashes. Collisions with animals were the second most common event, recorded in 13 incidents. Collisions with fixed objects, such as ditches (7 crashes) and parked vehicles (7 crashes), were also a notable pattern.

Crashes were slightly more common on non-intersection road segments, which accounted for 53 incidents, compared to 39 crashes at four-way intersections. An additional 8 crashes were related to driveway access. Overall, crashes at or related to intersections comprised approximately 44% of the total where junction type was specified.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, with 96 vehicles recorded. Sport utility vehicles (40 vehicles) and light pickup trucks (39 vehicles) were the next most frequent types. A small number of motorcycles (3) and tractor-trailers (3) were also involved in collisions.

A significant majority of vehicles involved in crashes were on roadways with no traffic controls present, accounting for 144 of the 209 vehicles. For crashes where traffic controls were a factor, stop signs were the most common, present for 24 vehicles. Traffic signals were noted for 13 vehicles involved in collisions.

Frontal impacts were the most common area of vehicle damage, with the primary front area being the most damaged point on 44 vehicles. Including corners, front-related impacts accounted for 89 vehicles. Rear damage was noted as the most severe on 21 vehicles, while various side impacts were the primary damage area for 56 vehicles.

The vast majority of crashes within municipal limits occurred in Red Oak, which saw 75 incidents. Far fewer crashes were recorded in other towns, with Villisca reporting 6 crashes. Stanton and Elliott each had only one crash reported within their city limits.

Crashes on unpaved roads, such as gravel or dirt, accounted for 12 of the 126 total incidents, representing 9.5% of all crashes in the county. The remaining 114 crashes occurred on paved surfaces.

In cases where a roadway factor was noted as a contributor, the most common was 'Surface condition,' cited in 17 crashes, which typically refers to wet or icy surfaces. Other factors like 'Slippery, loose or worn surface' and 'Work zone' were cited in 2 and 1 crashes, respectively.

Among drivers for whom a condition other than 'apparently normal' was recorded, impairment from alcohol was the most frequent, noted for 3 drivers. Other conditions included being asleep or fatigued (2 drivers), an emotional state (2 drivers), and a medical condition (2 drivers).

The most common estimated property damage cost was in the $1,500 to $7,500 range, which applied to 87 of the 126 crashes. A smaller number of crashes, 34, resulted in damages between $7,500 and $25,000. Only one crash was reported with damage costs exceeding $25,000.

The most common crash type was a non-collision event involving a single vehicle, such as running off the road, which accounted for 45 incidents (35.7%). Broadside collisions were the second most frequent pattern with 35 crashes (27.8%), followed by rear-end collisions, which occurred 21 times (16.7%).

The vast majority of vehicles, 134 out of 209, were moving straight ahead just prior to their collision. The next most common pre-crash actions were being legally parked, which applied to 15 vehicles, and turning left, which was the action for 13 vehicles.

Of the 263 people involved in traffic crashes, the overwhelming majority were drivers, accounting for 248 individuals or 94.3%. The remaining 15 individuals were passengers in vehicles. No pedestrians or other non-occupant types were recorded in the crash data for this period.

Across all persons involved in crashes, 53 individuals sustained some level of injury or were killed. This total includes one fatality, 6 serious injuries, 22 minor injuries, and 24 possible injuries. The remaining 210 persons involved were not injured.

Among the small subset of vehicle occupants for whom safety equipment use was recorded, 11 out of 43 individuals (25.6%) were noted as not using any restraints. The majority in this group, 32 individuals, were recorded as using a shoulder and lap belt. Data on restraint use was not available for most participants.

Two-vehicle collisions were the most common scenario, accounting for 77 of the 126 total crashes (61.1%). Single-vehicle crashes were also frequent, with 46 incidents making up 36.5% of the total. Crashes involving three vehicles were rare, with only 3 such events recorded.