692 CRASHES IN
MONTGOMERY, MD
NOVEMBER 2020

During this period, 7 individuals were killed and 252 were injured in traffic crashes. Motorists accounted for the largest number of casualties, with 4 killed and 221 injured. Vulnerable road users were also significantly impacted, with 2 pedestrians killed and 21 injured, and 9 cyclists injured.

Crash incidents were most frequent on Mondays, which saw 122 crashes during the month. The single hour with the most crashes was the 5 PM hour, with 66 incidents. Crashes generally increased from the morning commute, peaking during the afternoon and evening hours before declining after 8 PM.

Of the 692 crashes reported, 68.4% (473 incidents) resulted in no injuries and were classified as property-damage-only. The remaining 31.6% of crashes involved some level of injury, including 7 fatal crashes. These 7 crashes resulted in a total of 7 fatalities, as recorded in the person-level data.

The most commonly cited contributing factor was related to weather and road conditions, with 'RAIN, SNOW, WET' listed in 45 crashes (6.5%). A wet road surface, denoted as 'N/A, WET', was a factor in another 23 incidents (3.3%). The presence of an animal on the roadway was noted as a factor in 10 crashes.

The majority of crashes occurred in favorable conditions, with 74% happening in clear weather and 75.3% on dry road surfaces. Regarding lighting, 339 crashes (49%) occurred during daylight hours. Crashes in adverse conditions included 68 in rain and 80 on wet roads.

Among the 1,157 vehicles involved in crashes, passenger cars were the most common type, accounting for 816 vehicles. The most frequently involved vehicle makes were Toyota (158), Honda (133), and Ford (129). Data on driver age demographics was not available for this reporting period.

In crashes where fault was assigned, a driver was determined to be at fault in 622 cases. This represents the vast majority of incidents where fault was specified. A non-motorist was found to be at fault in 13 crashes.

When crashes occurred at intersections with a defined geometry, four-way intersections were the most common location, accounting for 212 incidents. T-intersections were the second most common site, with 86 crashes. These two types represent the majority of crashes at specified intersection geometries.

Analysis of crash locations shows that incidents occurred both at and away from junctions. A total of 227 crashes occurred directly within an intersection, with an additional 73 classified as intersection-related. Crashes on non-intersection roadway segments accounted for 183 incidents.

Crashes were most frequently reported on two-way roads with a divided, positive median barrier, accounting for 270 incidents. The second most common road type was two-way, undivided roads, where 226 crashes occurred. An additional 81 crashes happened on two-way roads with an unprotected painted median.

Vehicle damage was reported as 'Disabling' for 476 vehicles, making it the most common damage category recorded. This was followed by 'Functional' damage in 267 cases and 'Superficial' damage in 263 cases. A total of 63 vehicles were reported as 'Destroyed'.

The data field for driver action primarily lists environmental and road conditions rather than specific driver behaviors. The most frequent entry was 'RAIN, SNOW, WET', associated with 66 drivers. This was followed by 'N/A, WET' for 41 drivers and 'ANIMAL, N/A' for 10 drivers.

Among drivers for whom distraction status was recorded, a specific distraction was identified for 232 drivers. The most common distraction noted was 'Looked But Did Not See', reported for 138 drivers. This was followed by 'Inattentive or Lost in Thought' for 40 drivers and 'Other Distraction' for 27 drivers.

The most common first harmful event in a crash was a collision with another motor vehicle, which occurred in 430 incidents, or 62.1% of all crashes. The second most frequent event was striking a fixed object, which happened in 103 crashes. Collisions with parked vehicles were the third most common event, with 60 occurrences.

For non-motorists involved in crashes, safety equipment usage was noted in a limited number of cases. A helmet was reported as being used in 9 instances, while reflective clothing was noted in 2 cases. The data does not comprehensively report the absence of safety equipment for all non-motorists.

The front of the vehicle, designated as 'Twelve Oclock', was the most common point of impact, involved in 472 instances. This represents 40.8% of all vehicle impacts recorded. The rear of the vehicle ('Six Oclock') was the second most frequent impact point, with 190 occurrences.

Prior to the collision, the most common driver action was 'Moving Constant Speed', reported for 519 vehicles, or 44.9% of all vehicles with a recorded action. The next most frequent actions were 'Slowing or Stopping' (127 vehicles) and 'Making Left Turn' (118 vehicles).

For pedestrians involved in crashes, 'No Improper Actions' was the most frequently recorded circumstance, noted in 22 cases. However, improper actions were also cited, including 'In Roadway Improperly' in 6 cases, and 'Dart Dash' and 'Failure to Yield Right of Way' in 2 cases each.

The most frequent type of crash was a same-direction rear-end collision, which accounted for 162 incidents, or 23.4% of all crashes. Single-vehicle crashes were the second most common type with 150 occurrences (21.7%). Straight movement angle crashes were third, representing 99 incidents (14.3%).

A significant portion of crashes, 304 incidents or 43.9% of the total, occurred at locations with no traffic controls present. Crashes at locations with traffic signals accounted for 210 incidents. An additional 41 crashes occurred at intersections controlled by a stop sign.

Passenger cars were the predominant vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 816 of the 1,157 vehicles (70.5%). Sport Utility Vehicles were the second most common type with 98 vehicles involved. Commercial vehicles also contributed, including 27 transit buses and 21 cargo vans.

Out of 1,199 people involved in crashes, 940 were reported with no injuries. A total of 7 individuals sustained fatal injuries (K) and 19 sustained suspected serious injuries (A). Combined, fatal and serious injuries accounted for 2.2% of all persons involved.

The majority of crashes, 387 incidents (56%), involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes were also common, accounting for 260 incidents (37.6%). Multi-vehicle crashes involving three or more vehicles were less frequent, with 33 crashes involving three vehicles and 6 crashes involving four vehicles.