274 CRASHES IN
IOWA, IA
2015

All 4 fatalities and 105 injuries recorded in Tama County in 2015 involved motorists. There were no pedestrian or cyclist fatalities or injuries reported during this period. The 105 motorist injuries consisted of 20 serious injuries, 52 minor injuries, and 33 possible injuries.

Crashes in Tama County were most frequent on Fridays, with 46 incidents recorded. The single most common time for a crash was the 7 p.m. hour, which saw 24 incidents. Analysis of crashes with known lighting conditions shows 110 occurred in daylight, while 51 occurred in darkness, including 39 on unlighted roadways and 12 on lighted ones.

Of the 274 crashes, the majority (75.2%, or 206 incidents) resulted in no injuries. The remaining 66 crashes involved injuries of varying severity, including 13 with serious injuries, 30 with minor injuries, and 23 with possible injuries. Two of these crashes were fatal, leading to a total of 4 fatalities, underscoring that a single crash can result in multiple deaths.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 2 fatal crash events resulted in 4 persons killed.

The most significant contributing factor identified in Tama County crashes was interaction with an animal, cited in 111 incidents, or 40.5% of the total. Other leading factors included drivers losing control (23 crashes, 8.4%), running off a straight road (19 crashes, 6.9%), and driving too fast for conditions (16 crashes, 5.8%).

A substantial number of crashes occurred in seemingly ideal conditions, with 109 incidents in clear weather and 114 on dry road surfaces. Crashes also occurred during adverse conditions, including 12 in snow and 11 in rain. Regarding road surface, 16 crashes happened on wet roads and another 16 on snow-covered roads.

The age groups most frequently involved in crashes were 16-20 year-olds and 45-54 year-olds, with 70 individuals from each group recorded. An analysis of the 370 vehicles involved shows that Ford was the most common make, accounting for 77 vehicles. Chevrolet and its abbreviation 'CHEV' collectively appeared 86 times (50 and 36, respectively), followed by Dodge with 20 vehicles.

Collisions with animals were the leading major cause of crashes, accounting for 111 incidents. Following this, losing control was cited as the cause in 23 crashes (8.4%), and running off a straight portion of the road was the cause for another 19 crashes (6.9%). Driving too fast for conditions contributed to 16 crashes (5.8%).

The most common first harmful event was a collision with an animal, which initiated 111 crashes. The second most frequent event was a collision with another vehicle in traffic, occurring 72 times. Non-collision events, primarily rollovers (26 incidents), and collisions with a fixed object, most often a ditch (25 incidents), were also significant first harmful events.

Crashes were more likely to occur on non-junction segments of the roadway than at intersections. Ninety-five crashes happened on straight or curved road segments with no junction feature. In contrast, 58 crashes occurred at various types of intersections, with four-way intersections being the most common type, accounting for 30 of these incidents.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, with 186 units recorded. Sport utility vehicles (66) and light trucks or pickups (64) were the next most frequent. The data also includes 17 tractor/semi-trailers and 5 motorcycles among the 370 vehicles involved in collisions.

The majority of crashes, 196 incidents, occurred in areas with no traffic controls present. For crashes at locations with traffic controls, stop signs were the most common device, associated with 40 crashes. A smaller number of incidents were recorded at locations with no passing zones (8) and yield signs (6).

Frontal impacts were the most common area of damage, with 81 vehicles sustaining damage to the front and an additional 45 vehicles damaged on the front corners. Rear impacts were noted on 23 vehicles, suggesting a share of rear-end collisions. Notably, 22 vehicles sustained damage to the top, which is often indicative of a rollover event.

A total of 11 crashes were recorded as involving an impaired driver, representing 4.0% of all crashes. Of these, alcohol was the sole factor in 9 incidents, drugs were the sole factor in one incident, and a combination of alcohol and drugs was noted in one crash.

The highest concentration of crashes within municipal limits occurred in the city of Tama, which recorded 25 incidents. The city of Toledo had the second-highest volume with 16 crashes, followed by Traer with 15 crashes. Several other towns, including Chelsea, Gladbrook, and Dysart, each recorded 3 crashes.

The vast majority of crashes, 240 out of 274, took place on paved roads. However, a notable portion, 34 crashes or 12.4% of the total, occurred on unpaved surfaces such as gravel or dirt roads.

In a minority of crashes where a roadway factor was cited, adverse surface conditions were the leading contributor, noted in 27 incidents. A slippery, loose, or worn surface was a factor in 2 crashes, and one crash was related to a work zone. For most crashes, no specific roadway factor was identified.

Among drivers for whom a condition other than 'apparently normal' was recorded, influence of alcohol was the most frequent, cited for 12 drivers. The next most common condition was being asleep or fatigued, which was noted for 6 drivers. Other recorded conditions included illness or medical events, affecting 4 drivers.

The most common estimated property damage cost was in the $1,500 to $7,500 range, which applied to 191 crashes. Seventy crashes resulted in damages between $7,500 and $25,000. A smaller number of 10 crashes involved extensive property damage estimated at over $25,000.

Single-vehicle, non-collision events were the dominant manner of collision, accounting for 141 crashes, or 51.5% of the total. For multi-vehicle incidents, broadside collisions were the most frequent type with 27 crashes (9.9%), followed by rear-end collisions, which occurred 21 times (7.7%).

The most common action of vehicles immediately before a crash was moving essentially straight, which was the case for 194 vehicles. Turning left was the pre-crash action for 31 vehicles, and turning right was the action for 14 vehicles.

Of the 483 people involved in crashes, the vast majority were drivers, accounting for 449 individuals. The remaining 34 people were passengers. No other person types, such as pedestrians or cyclists, were recorded in the crash data for this period.

A total of 109 individuals sustained some level of injury or were killed in crashes. This includes 4 fatalities, 20 serious injuries, 52 minor injuries, and 33 possible injuries. The data indicates that 4 people involved in crashes had no apparent injury.

Among individuals where safety equipment use was documented, 75 were reported as using a shoulder and lap belt. However, 14 individuals were recorded as using no safety equipment at all. Additionally, 5 children were secured in child safety seats and 3 people used only a lap belt.

Single-vehicle crashes were the most common type, with 185 incidents, representing 67.5% of all crashes. Two-vehicle collisions accounted for 82 crashes, while a smaller number of multi-vehicle pile-ups involved three vehicles in 7 separate incidents.