The number and rate of traffic fatalities and serious injuries are critical performance measures in the evaluation of the safety of our roadway network. For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one life lost on our roadways or altered by a serious injury is unacceptable. In accordance with MAP-21, the FAST Act, and Federal Highway Administration’s guidance, MassDOT reports 5-year rolling average data for the following safety performance measures*:
In addition to the required measures, MassDOT reports the following measures (annual values and 5-year rolling average) specifically for Tracker:
In CY22 there were 439 total fatalities, an increase of 24 from CY21. The Total Fatality 5-year average in CY22 was 378, an increase of 18.8 from CY21.
The Rate of Fatalities Per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) provides the context to show how the change in number of fatalities is partially a factor of an increase of decrease in the aggregate number of miles being drive during the calendar year. The Rate of Fatalities is calculated over a calendar year.
MassDOT continues to identify opportunities to improve work zone safety elements with the goal of having zero deaths in work zones. In CY22, the Number of Fatalities in Roadway Work Zones was 2, a decrease of 3 from CY21. The 5-year average for Number of Fatalities in Roadway Work Zones was 5.4 in CY22, unchanged from CY21.
Motorcycle Fatalities measures motorcycle operator and passenger fatalities on MassDOT owned roads in a calendar year. Motorcycle fatalities include Motorcycle, Moped, 3-wheel motorcycle, or Other (minibike, motor scooter, or unknown). In CY22, the Number of Motorcycle Fatalities was 57, a decrease of 25 from CY21. The 5-year Average Number of Motorcycle Fatalities was 59.5 in CY22, an increase of 2 from CY21.
In CY22, the Number of Serious Injuries was 2,996, an increase of 102 from CY21. The Number of Serious Injuries 5-year Rolling Average was 2707.6 in CY22, an increase of 82.8 from CY21.
The Rate of Serious Injuries Per 100 million VMT provides context to serious injuries relative to the aggregate number of miles being driven during the calendar year. In CY22, the Rate of Serious Injuries was 4.7 per 100 million VMT, a decrease of 0.8 from CY21. The Rate of Serious Injuries 5-year Rolling Average was 4.42 per 100 million VMT in CY22, an increase of 0.13 from CY21.
In 2021, MassDOT updated its 2019 Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan and Statewide Pedestrian Plan, which provide roadmaps for making biking and walking safe, convenient, and comfortable for short trips and everyday travel. Safety is critical to improving the experiences of people who walk and bike, and the statewide plans focus on improving safety through infrastructure, maintenance, education, and capacity-building for municipalities. The plans are actionable and measurable, and each plan strategy has metrics associated with it. In the coming years, Tracker will include additional detail on the bicyclist and pedestrian crashes. Efforts are underway to improve data collection and data quality for bicyclist and pedestrian modes, and Tracker will incorporate additional safety related performance measures in the future.
In CY22, the Number of Bicyclist fatalities was 9, an increase of 4 from CY21. The Number of Bicyclist Fatalities 5-year Rolling Average was 6.6 in CY22, a decrease of 0.6 from CY21.
In CY22, the number of Pedestrian Fatalities was 98, an increase of 22 from CY21. The number of Pedestrian Fatalities 5-year Rolling Average was 75.6 in CY22, an increase of 5.2 from CY21.
*Data prior to CY21 comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Safety data for CY22 comes from the MassDOT Highway Division IMPACT Crash Data Portal.
