Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2023)

Overview

In 2023, there were 346 total traffic deaths in Massachusetts. At least 69 pedestrians lost their lives in crashes, accounting for approximately 20% of the total. 

In previous years of this report, we've urged our state and local leaders to take steps to design our streets to be safer for Massachusetts residents. This year, we're urging everyone to do their part to make their community a safer place: lead a walk audit in a place you're concerned about in your neighborhood. Read on to learn how we can help.

This report, published by  WalkMassachusetts , Massachusetts' statewide pedestrian advocacy organization, will take a closer look at initial crash information made available by MassDOT through the agency's  Interactive Mapping Portal for Analysis and Crash Tracking (IMPACT) portal .

Findings:

  • Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 40 had at least one pedestrian fatality in 2023. Eight of the 40 municipalities had multiple pedestrian crash deaths.
  • Older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups for the 3rd year in a row: 31.9% of fatal crash victims were over the age of 65, while this segment represents only  18% of the Commonwealth’s total population . Nationwide, 18.6% of fatal crash victims were age 65+.
  • More than half (54%) of fatal pedestrian crashes took place in Environmental Justice Census Block Groups. Environmental Justice Population Data is based upon  three demographic criteria developed by the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) .
  • More than three quarters (76.8%) of the fatalities took place on streets controlled by municipalities. Less than 20% (18.8%) were on MassDOT roads; the remaining 4.3% were Massport, UMass, and private property.
  • 70.8% of the vehicles people were driving in these fatal crashes were passenger cars, while 21.5% were light trucks. (All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.)
  • Approximately 70% of the fatal pedestrian crashes occurred in the dark (before sunrise or after sunset). A  June 2023 NHTSA report  found that in 2021, 77% of all pedestrian-related fatalities in the United States occurred in the dark.
  • At least seven (10.2%) of the fatal crashes were recorded as hit & run crashes, where the driver left the scene of the crash.

Below, we'll take a closer look to evaluate what we know about these crashes so far. ( Access the report's data in a Google Drive folder here .) We’ve included excerpts of local reporting on fatal crashes in each section. These articles serve to contextualize and humanize needless car-related fatalities of the past year.

A special thank you to the reporters who tirelessly investigate traffic crashes, share the stories of the people behind the numbers, and describe how many of their family and friends are working to make streets safer in their memory. Thank you as well to the volunteers who assisted with this report.

Context

Earlier this spring, the Governor's Highway Safety Association released a data analysis,  Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2023 Preliminary Data (January-June) , projected that in the United States, drivers struck and killed 3,373 people walking in the first half of 2023 – down 4% from the year before but 14% above 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

As in each year we've released this report, we believe that on the state and local level, there is a need for more action to slow drivers down so people trying to cross the street can do so safely. This graphic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrates how a driver’s “Cone of Vision” is reduced when they drive faster. Likewise, one can more easily see and yield to people in crosswalks when driving slower.

Pedestrian Fatality and Serious injury risk; 13% at 20 mph, 40% at 30 mph, 73% at 40 mph. Cone of Vision: At 20 mph driver able to see road and roadside, at 30 mph driver able to see roadway, at 40 mph driver can only see small portion of center of roadway. Image accessed at  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-speed-management  on March 18, 2024.

Oversized vehicles are making U.S. streets deadlier for pedestrians and bike riders.  Vehicle design and visibility from the driver's seat  are significant factors in the rise of traffic crashes and fatalities.

In  last year's report , we shared the efforts that were underway to improve both USDOT's Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), since each was in the process of taking public comment. The MUTCD has been issued, while NCAP is still under review:  the proposed NCAP regulations last summer would still allow a vehicle that received a failing grade for pedestrian crashworthiness to achieve an overall 5-star vehicle safety rating .

The National Association for City Transportation Officials (NACTO) responded to the release of the 11th Edition of the MUTCD in December 2023 with highlights, including that: "Speed limits will be set based on local safety needs, not by speeding drivers, a step that by itself will save hundreds of lives on U.S. roadways. The new MUTCD replaces the discredited “ 85th percentile ” method with a context-sensitive method that  accounts for  adjacent land use, pedestrian and bicyclist needs, and crash history. It encourages using good street design to prevent speeding and explicitly discourages using the 85th-percentile method to set speed limits in all urban and suburban contexts and in small-town main streets."

What does this all mean for Massachusetts?

To put 2023's pedestrian fatality numbers in context, we used MassDOT’s IMPACT standardized crash report " Pedestrian, Cyclist and Motorcyclist Crashes by Injury ” to examine pedestrian fatal injury crashes in Massachusetts dating back to 2002.

Pedestrian Crashes by Injury in Massachusetts, 2002-2023. Data from  MassDOT’s standardized report “Vulnerable User and Motorcyclist Crashes by Injury” , accessed 3/19/2024. (*Fatal crash totals used in this report from 2015-2023 was adjusted on 3/19/2024 to reflect current 2023 MassDOT count from " Fatal Crash Information " dashboard, per recommendation in MassDOT's disclaimer.)

Pedestrian crash deaths as of 3/26/2024 from MassDOT " Fatal Crash Information " dashboard. (2015 is first year available in that source.)

The 69 pedestrian crash deaths in 2023 is roughly the average yearly number of fatal crashes for the 22-year period available (70.2); in comparison, 2022 was one of only three years since 2002 (2003 - 85, 2005 - 80, 2022 - 98) with 80 or more pedestrian crash deaths. The average pedestrian crash deaths in a year over the last five years is 75.

You can also find more information on the  MassDOT Impact Crash Portal . Dashboards for commonly requested data are available, as well as ways that you can run custom queries. For example, our report does not focus on serious injuries, but  according to the ‘Statewide Crashes by Severity and Year’ Dashboard , at least 371 pedestrians were seriously injured in 2023 (in 2022, this number was 325); serious injury crashes can be life-altering, leaving pedestrians with long-term or permanent health challenges or disabilities.

We have found that fatal crash information is most up to date on the  Fatal Crash Information  Dashboard. (The  IMPACT  disclaimer points to this source, and notes that other places on IMPACT may not be as current and the motor vehicle fatality information may not match.)

 An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities ,” signed into law in January 2023, requires the make/model of vehicles involved in crashes with vulnerable road users to be made available for crashes starting in 2024. Previously, just the category of vehicle involved in a crash has been reported, which includes: motorcycle, passenger car, light truck, single-unit truck, larger vehicle. All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed into law in November 2021 included a  Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Special Rule under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) : if vulnerable road users make up 15% or more of the total number of fatalities in a state in a given year, the state is required to dedicate at least 15% of its HSIP funds the following fiscal year to projects that address the safety of these road users.

Massachusetts exceeded the 15% vulnerable road user mark again in 2023, with approximately 20% of fatal crashes involving pedestrians (69 of the 346 total crash deaths). Even before the requirement in BIL was established, MassDOT dedicated more than 15% of HSIP funds towards non-motorist safety interventions.

Following the release of the  2023 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) , which identifies key safety needs and helps direct funding to improvements that reduce highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, MassDOT released a  Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment  in Fall 2023. It includes an interactive statewide map showing the crash clusters used in the crash-based analysis and the risk-based screening for pedestrian and bicyclist segments and intersections (available below).

MassDOT Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment: Using a data-driven approach to identify vulnerable road users.

Part of MassDOT's report looked at pedestrian KA crashes between 2016-2020 in proximity to bus stops and schools. ("KA" is a crash that results in fatal or serious injury):

School Zone assembly in Holbrook, MA.  Photo included on p 18 of presentation to MassDOT Board . Accessed 3/19/2024.

Within 300 ft of Bus Stops Statewide:

  • 34% of KA Bicyclist Crashes
  • 41% KA Pedestrian/Skater Crashes
  • 6% Centerline Miles (total distance of a roadways included)

Within 300 ft of MBTA Bus Stops:

  • 45% of KA Bicyclist Crashes
  • 50% KA Pedestrian/Skater Crashes

Within 2000 ft of Schools Statewide:

  • 41% KA Bicyclist Crashes
  • 44% KA Ped/Skater Crashes

 In a presentation to the MassDOT board in September 2023 , MassDOT said that it has provided 281 school zone assemblies to 130 communities, and is developing a multi-year program to enhance bus stop crossings where pedestrian risk is high or there is a high potential for walking; they would start with State-owned roadways (reviewing 212 bus stop locations).

This is important technical assistance that the MassDOT Safety team provides to municipalities, and we hope it will continue and expand.

Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 40 had at least one pedestrian crash death in 2023.

Fatal Pedestrian crashes in 2023. Click a dot on the map for info about the crash. ( View as a list .) Search using the magnifying glass icon at the top left.

What it shows:

  • 32 communities had one pedestrian crash death: Acton, Andover, Athol, Barnstable, Chicopee, Dartmouth, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hanson, Hatfield, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lenox, Lynn, Malden, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleborough, Milford, Needham, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, North Andover, Peabody, Plainville, Quincy, Reading, Rockland, Salem, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Southbridge, Westwood, Weymouth.
  • 8 communities had more than one pedestrian crash death:
    • Boston (8)
    • Springfield (7)
    • Brockton, Pittsfield (3/each)
    • Chelsea, Easton, New Bedford, Waltham (2/each)
  • Boston, Springfield, and Brockton have each had at least 3 pedestrian crash deaths each year (2021-2022-2023) we have released a report.

SPOTLIGHT: Springfield, MA

While fatal pedestrian crash numbers were similar in Boston and Springfield in 2023, the rate was much higher in Springfield.

Despite this size difference, Springfield (7) and Boston (8) had a similar number of fatal pedestrian crashes in 2023; Springfield even had more total fatal crashes (19) than Boston (16).

While we did spotlight Springfield in the report two years ago that looked at 2021 data, it is still striking that places so different in population size can have similar fatal crash numbers. Census population data from 2022 shows that Springfield (154,064) is less than 1/4 the size of Boston (650,706).

 WalkBike Springfield , a group of local residents working to improve the safety of walking and biking in Springfield, have identified a major problem: many 4-lane arterials pass through residential neighborhoods and have no accommodations for pedestrian crossings. The community organization hopes the city will establish a Complete Streets Council that was authorized as part of the  Complete Streets resolution the city approved in 2016 .

Pedestrian crashes in Springfield and surrounding communities, 2021-2023. 2023's fatal crashes are shown larger on the map. Click a dot on the map for info about the crash.

When the walk signal flashed on Roosevelt Avenue, Rebecca Willoughby started to cross the four-lane street with the help of her walker, Myrtle. About halfway over, the light started to flash a warning — and before Willoughby could make it to the other side, it turned red: Don’t walk. Willoughby, 76, often crosses the street to get to the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center on the other side, about a third of a mile walk. The pedestrian signal across Roosevelt Avenue gives walkers about 20 seconds, but it needs to be longer, she said. “Running for most of us is not in the equation,” she said, sitting with her walker not far from Independence House, the senior housing complex where she lives.

"More than 20 pedestrians have died on Springfield streets since 2020. What’s being done to make roads safer?" The Republican / MassLive, October 2, 2023. (Link to article in photo caption below.)

Rebecca Willoughby, a resident of Independence House in Springfield, joins members of Walk/Bike Springfield and WalkMassachusetts on a walking audit to check on pedestrian safety in the area of the Jordan Senior Center and Putnam High. From left are Betsy Johnson of Walk/Bike Springfield, Willoughby, Deborah Hunter of Walk/Bike Springfield and Brendan Kearney, co-executive director of Walk Massachusetts. They are crossing Roosevelt Avenue. (Don Treeger / The Republican). Link to full story:  https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/10/more-than-20-pedestrians-have-died-on-springfield-streets-since-2020-whats-being-done-to-make-roads-safer.html 

54% of Fatal Pedestrian Crashes were in Environmental Justice Block Groups.

Fatal pedestrian crashes from 2021-2022-2023 overlaid with Environmental Justice block groups. 2023 crashes are displayed larger. Click on legend on the bottom left corner the map below to learn more about each EJ Block Group. These data were obtained from  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-2020-us-census-environmental-justice-populations 

In 2023, 54% of all fatal pedestrian crashes took place in EJ census block groups. In last year's report, we found that 71% of fatal crashes in 2022 took place in environmental justice (EJ) census block groups, so we wanted to see if this correlation appeared in fatal crash data again in 2023. We also looked at 2021 fatal pedestrian crashes, and 63% of those were in EJ census block groups.

A reminder: in 2021, the legislature passed  An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for MA Climate Policy , which includes a specific definition of "environmental justice population": a neighborhood that meets 1 or more of the following criteria: (i) the annual median household income is not more than 65 per cent of the statewide annual median household income; (ii) minorities comprise 40 per cent or more of the population; (iii) 25 per cent or more of households lack English language proficiency; or (iv) minorities comprise 25 per cent or more of the population and the annual median household income of the municipality in which the neighborhood is located does not exceed 150 per cent of the statewide annual median household income;

Using this definition, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) publishes an EEA  Environmental Justice (EJ) Maps Viewer  that provides interactive information for areas in the Commonwealth that are identified as EJ Populations; this was updated in November 2022 with the latest data made available by the U.S. Census Bureau.

What it shows:

These data seem to support:

  • The need for additional investment in environmental justice communities to support changes to the built environment that would promote safety, economic vitality, and community, such as: traffic-calming measures, clearly marked and accessible crosswalks, tree-lined sidewalks, highway-to-boulevard conversions, and more. 
  • The importance of community organizations which work to achieve environmental justice and greater quality of life through collective action, unity, education and youth leadership across neighborhoods and communities. On  April 10th at WalkMassachusetts' Annual Celebration, we're recognizing Noemy Rodriguez , the Waterfront Initiative Organizer for  GreenRoots,  due to her outstanding efforts with the Caminatas initiative that is promoting walkability and environmental justice in East Boston and Chelsea, and getting people involved in making their streets safer.  Learn more .

"Las auditorías peatonales y los días de demostración con intervenciones temporales permiten a las personas dar su opinión y ver posibles cambios en una calle." Walk audits and demonstration days with temporary installations allow people to give feedback and see possible changes to a street. Noemy Rodriguez Waterfront Initiative Organizer GreenRoots

Older adults were hit and killed more often than those in other age groups.

People age 65 and over made up 31.9% of pedestrian crash deaths in 2023, even though only 18% of the Massachusetts population is 65 or over according to the US Census population estimate from July 2022.

What it shows:

  • 31.9% of pedestrians killed in 2023 were age 65 and over, even though only 18% of the Massachusetts population is in this age group according to the US Census population estimate from July 2022. It appears that people 65 and over are over-represented in pedestrian crash deaths. 2023's percentage is lower than the current figures available in MassDOT's IMPACT Crash Portal for 2022 (38.2%) and 2021 (36.4%).
  • People 50 and over made up over 56.5% of pedestrian crash deaths in 2023.

These data seem to support:

“People of all ages deserve to be safe as we move within and between our communities. For older adults to be active, engaged and included in community life means having infrastructure that prioritizes safety and connection to things we all find meaningful. This data is proof that there is more to be done as we collectively need to advance and quicken the progress being made.” James Fuccione Executive Director Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC)

Here's how you can take action:

Close to 70% of the fatal pedestrian crashes occurred when it was dark.

A transportation system that’s safer by design — as in many European countries — might better absorb any one of these dangers. Distracted drivers are safer at lower speeds. People out at night are safer with well-lit crosswalks.

New York Times / The Upshot: "Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?" By Emily Badger, Ben Blatt and Josh Katz. Dec. 11, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/11/upshot/nighttime-deaths.html

What it shows:

  • Using the  MassDOT Crash Query & Visualization tool , we found crash records for 68 of the 69 pedestrian crash deaths. Just 21 of the 68 crashes (31%) were listed with a light condition of daylight, while the other 47 (69%) took place at other times (Dark - lighted roadway, Dark - roadway not lighted, dawn, dusk). 
  • We also researched  sunrise and sunset times for communities in Massachusetts  throughout the year. 63.8% of fatal pedestrian crashes took place after sunset and before sunrise. This was slightly lower than last year (64.7%). If the crash occurred either 30 minutes before sunrise or 30 minutes after sunset (just 7.2%, or 5 total crashes), we listed it as during twilight.
  • A  June 2023 NHTSA report  found that in 2021, 77% of all pedestrian-related fatalities in the United States occurred in the dark.

What it doesn't show:

  • The light conditions field on the crash reporting form has “Dark - lighted roadway” as an option, but it is unclear if pedestrian-focused lighting is present or operational at these crash locations, or if crosswalks are aligned with streetlights so people trying to cross can easily be seen.
  • Typically crash reports do not include information about street conditions. Where's the nearest crosswalk? Are there sidewalks? What shape are they in?

These data seem to support:

  • The FHWA’s “ Nighttime Visibility for Safety ” recommendations of crosswalk visibility enhancements for pedestrians such as rectangular rapid flashing beacons (47% reduction in crashes) or advance markings and signs (25% reduction) make it safer for people to cross a road by giving people driving multiple cues to expect the need to yield. Most RRFBs do not include an accessible pedestrian signal (APS) as standard device; it is an added option that should be added to ensure visually-impaired pedestrians can safely cross. FHWA also released a  “Pedestrian Lighting Primer” in April 2022  as a resource for transportation practitioners interested in lighting design considerations for locations with pedestrian activity.
  • A need for more review of lighting at crash locations, similar to  Oregon Walks’ study of crashes in Portland, OR . That study examined 48 fatal crash locations over a three year period (2017-2019) in one city, Portland, and found that lighting was “an urgent issue with 79% of crashes occurring in the dark with potential lighting inadequacies identified at a majority of these locations. Further engineering review is needed.”   View the full report . (For Street Lighting, look at the “Focus Issues” section, starting on PDF page 27.)
  • Expanding Safe Routes to School efforts. Walking or biking to or from school during the early morning or evening hours may cause students to travel in reduced lighting, increasing the risk of a crash. The  Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Online Guide  identifies pedestrian-scale street lighting as an important measure for improving safety and security for children walking to school.

A December 2023 New York Times article,  "Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?"  included sections that looked at:

  • Vehicle design: Automatic transmissions, which are found the overwhelming majority of cars on the road in the US,  make it easier for drivers to pay attention to things other than driving their cars. 
  • Devices: Americans spend nearly three times as much time interacting with their phones while driving as drivers in Britain. According to Cambridge Mobile Telematics data, device use by drivers peaks in the evenings. Drivers using their devices also drive ~9 mph faster than those who are not.

Michael Ginsburg, age 84 February 26, 2023 520 Foundry St, Easton 

Michel Ginsberg was struck and killed after leaving his favorite restaurant, La Familia.   From a  WJAR / Turn to 10 story :   Ever Amaya [the owner of La Familia Restaurant] showed NBC 10 surveillance footage of the moments leading up to the collision. The video shows a man attempting to cross the street on Foundry with oncoming traffic moving in both directions. There is no crosswalk or sidewalks connecting La Familia to the other side of the road. “Accidents like that can happen because there’s no sidewalks on the street either and it’s kind of dark,” said Amaya.

Later that year, on November 25, 2023, a 38 year old was also struck and killed at night in the 500 block of Foundry Street in Easton; we were unable to find media coverage of the crash.

7 (10.2%) of the fatal crashes were recorded as hit & run crashes, where the driver left the scene of the crash.

What it shows:

  • From news articles, we found at least 13 drivers left the scene of fatal pedestrian crashes. Using the MassDOT Crash Query & Visualization Tool, only 7 crashes were listed in the data as hit & run crashes. (Eight pedestrians died as a result of those 7 hit & run crashes, since one driver struck and killed two people in a work zone in Waltham.)

What it doesn't show:

Who's tracking fatal hit-and-runs in MA?  25 Investigates finds: no one is .

Type of vehicles involved in these fatal crashes: 70.8% passenger cars, 21.5% light trucks.

What it shows:

  • We examined 65 of 69 crashes had driver vehicle data available. (The remaining crashes include multi-vehicle crashes where it was not clear through the data available which driver's vehicle hit/killed the pedestrian.)
  • 70.8% were passenger cars, while 21.5% were light trucks. All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.

Type of vehicles involved in these fatal crashes: 70.8% passenger cars, 21.5% light trucks*, 4.6% larger vehicle, 1.5% motorcycle, 1.5% single-unit truck. *All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.

What it doesn't show:

  • The make or model of a driver's vehicle. As referenced earlier in this report, the recently passed law “ An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities ,” requires the make/model of vehicles involved in crashes with vulnerable road users to be made publicly available for crashes starting in 2024. Previously, just the category of vehicle involved in a crash has been reported, which includes: motorcycle, passenger car, light truck, single-unit truck, larger vehicle. (All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.)
  • Having make/model/year of the vehicles involved in these crashes will allow better analysis to shape policy/regulation, and improve consumer information for those who may be in the market for a vehicle. Not only do different make & models pose varied levels of danger to people outside the vehicles, but that danger can also vary greatly across vehicle model year. Angie Schmitt highlighted the supersizing of pickup trucks in  a piece for Bloomberg CityLab :

A Bloomberg CityLab article, " What Happened to Pickup Trucks? " from March 11, 2021 featured a photo of author Angie Schmitt's 4-year old son in front of a Ford F-250.

76.8% of the fatal crashes took place on local streets, where the municipality is responsible for the roadway.

What it shows:

  • More than three quarters (76.8%) of the fatalities took place on streets controlled by municipalities. Less than 20% (18.8%) were on MassDOT roads, the remaining 4.3% were on Massport, UMass, and private property.
  • The jurisdiction that owns the street is responsible for the design and maintenance of that street. This can get complicated where streets cross jurisdictional boundaries or intersect a street owned by another agency.
  • If you would like to find out what entity owns a particular road or section of road, you can consult   MassDOT’s Road Inventory Tool .

These data seem to support:

  • The need for every single municipality in Massachusetts to use more of their  Chapter 90 funding  for the design and implementation of safe streets on locally owned roadways. The total amount of money is approved by Legislators and the Governor.  Fiscal Year 2024 apportionments can be found here. 
  • Every municipality gets direct funding from MassDOT that can be used for safety improvements, but typically don't use the money that way. They use it for repaving and other auto-oriented purposes. You can  review a list of projects eligible for Chapter 90 funds here . Some notable examples: accessible ramps, separated bike lanes, flex posts, raised crosswalks, sidewalks, paths, pedestrian signals, speed humps, and street design consultants.

What's being done to resolve these issues?

Regional Vision Zero Planning Efforts

In last year's report, we highlighted that in February 2023, 17 Massachusetts communities and municipal planning organizations (MPOs)  received $30.6 million through the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant program  as part of FY22 Grant Awards.

This web application was created for the U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program. The map displays the locations of the FY 2023 Awardees of the Planning & Development Grants and the Implementation Grants. Zoom in for Massachusetts.  https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/2023-awards 

Since then, 15 more Massachusetts communities and planning organizations received $22.2 million through the  USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant program  as part of FY23 awards announced in  October  2023 and  December  2023. Municipal awardees include the Cities of Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Gardner, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Pittsfield, Somerville, and Westfield.

Planning organization awardees include:

  • Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (Boston MPO):  Boston Region MPO Vision Zero Action Plan 
  • Central Mass Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC): Central Mass Safe Streets for All Action Plan and Worcester Main South Demonstration Project
  • Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC): SSFA Planning and Demonstration Grant for a Regional Safety Action Plan and Demonstration Project for the Pioneer Valley region of Western Massachusetts.
  • Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC): to develop a comprehensive safety action plan.
  • Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC): Old Colony Regional SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan
  • Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC): SS4A Action Plan Grant for the Montachusett Region in North Central Massachusetts
  • Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC): Northeast Massachusetts Comprehensive Safety Action Plan
  • Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG):  Safer Streets for the Greater Lowell Region 
  • Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD): Regional Safety Action Plan
  • Barnstable County/ Cape Cod Commission: Cape Cod Regional Safety Action Plan

These grant awards are a sign that planning investments on a regional level have happened since our report in March 2023 to respond to safety issues on our roadways. These efforts are just getting underway, and we hope to let you know how you may be able to get involved as we learn more.

A key challenge ahead with Vision Zero planning efforts: coordination.

Municipalities are taking action to apply for Safe Streets for All (SSFA) planning grants, but might be getting out ahead of the work of their region's planning commission. If a community intends to apply for follow up implementation grants through SSFA, they're required by USDOT to be in coordination with regional plans. We encourage municipalities and regional planning commissions to work closely in order to take advantage of future federal funds for Massachusetts so that safety improvements get built. This influx of safety money must translate to safer streets and sidewalks for communities across the Commonwealth.

The latest Safe Streets and Roads for All Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A . Applications for Implementation Grants are by May 16. Planning and demonstration grant applicants will have three opportunities to apply with the deadlines of April 4, May 16, and August 29.   

It should be noted that most of MA's own transportation funding is not going to pedestrian efforts -- a number far larger than that will be available in SS4A. These same MPOs who will be doing important planning will also need to work to change their project selection criteria so that small-scale safety projects (curb extensions, new lighting, raised crosswalks) are consistently considered for funding and are ranked higher than road expansion or capacity projects.

City of Boston's "Safety Surge"

Boston has responded by rolling out a " Safety Surge ," which focuses on three main areas: Speed Humps, Safer Intersections, and Safer Signals. This program is almost entirely funded with Chapter 90 money.

“What we hear from people all over the city is that there are too many cars that are speeding through residential neighborhoods and people don't feel safe,”  said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston’s Chief of Streets.  “So we've put in place a safety surge program that's intended to speed the delivery of key safety infrastructure throughout the city and in our residential streets. One of the primary ways we're doing that is by adding speed humps, where our goal is to eventually put them on every residential street in Boston, that's about 400 miles of streets.”

NBC Boston, "Boston Speed Humps Being Installed," 10/20/2023

'Safety surge' in Boston as crews work to install hundreds of speed humps across city

State legislation

Massachusetts is in the final year of the two-year legislative session. We hope that the MBTA, MassDOT, and the Legislature will work together to pass this important piece of legislation this session:  S.2600 An act relative to school bus safety , which includes automated enforcement for bus lanes and bus stops for MBTA and RTA buses. A  pilot program that equipped 10 buses with cameras in Peabody  found 864 cars illegally passed buses with a stop arm out while the buses were picking up and dropping off students from Sept 1 to Oct 10, 2023. Since a transportation safety bill was passed last year, there is not currently a comprehensive transportation safety bill in the works. Next session, we hope for more discussion and action in some of these areas:

  • Vehicle Design: There are ways that Massachusetts can regulate dangerous oversized vehicles. One strategy is through  weight-based vehicle-registration fees intended to discourage people from purchasing heavier vehicles  that are more dangerous to the people outside the vehicle, like workers at construction sites and people walking and biking.
    • MassDOT is working with the  Volpe Center  to assess and recommend safety changes for its entire fleet of vehicles. We appreciate the leadership on this effort.
  • Intelligent Speed Assist: In December 2023, NHTSA added intelligent speed assist to the 11th edition of  Countermeasures That Work  to help state and local governments implement effective programs to save lives, prevent crashes, and make our roads safer for everyone. ISA could be implemented for fleets of vehicles (similar to side guards) and also for repeat reckless drivers, similar to  ignition interlock device program  for OUI offenders.

Residents of Massachusetts, tell your stories and voice your concerns to local officials. Federal and state funds are available to improve safety, and you can make it happen. Business owners, please acknowledge that much of Massachusetts looks like Andover, with aging roads. Stop putting lives and truck drivers’ livelihoods at risk. Look for safer times and smaller vehicles to deliver goods. Members of the Legislature, we ask that you treat increasing road deaths like the public health crisis they are, starting with passing House Bill 3393, which clears the way for automated enforcement, where cameras capture and report traffic violations, including red light infractions and speeding. The practice is used by 26 states. Communities and businesses have the solutions to create more livable cities and towns — and save thousands of lives. We just need to start using them. Eric Olson and Mary Beth Ellis are cofounders of The Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund.

Boston Globe, 11/21/2023: "Traffic deaths are preventable. Why aren’t we preventing them?" https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/21/opinion/pedestrian-safety-roads-transportation-accidents/

National efforts

On the national level,  America Walks is leading an effort  urging the federal government to require a proven technology, Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), on all new vehicles. In Europe,  all new vehicles are required to have ISA by July 2024 . America Walks has launched  a Safer Fleets Challenge , calling on cities and towns to start installing ISA on their fleets; they're seeking 50 governments to take action to adopt ISA by 2025.

Next steps: Lead a walk audit 

We've pushed for action from state elected officials and MassDOT in past years in this report. While we still think our leaders need to implement safety changes faster, this year, we want to encourage you to lead your own walk audit to bring attention to dangerous locations in your own community.

Why you should lead a walk audit this year

WalkMassachusetts uses walk audits as a community engagement tool. We think it is important to get people out onto the streets and sidewalks to experience problems that people walking face, and look for ways to make improvements.

Along with this report, we're releasing the  Walk Audit Academy” video series . Most of the videos are under 2 minutes long, and are accompanied by helpful materials to support you in leading a walk audit. The videos walk you through what goes into performing a walk audit and cover things you will want to consider when planning a walk audit in your community.

Walk Audit Academy, video 1: Why is walkability important?  See more on our website .

In addition to helping empower people to perform their own walk audit, the  Walk Audit Academy  expands the number of people that we can reach and the number of walk audits that can be conducted – while also building support within a community for improvements to streets and sidewalks.

There are many neighborhoods in communities across Massachusetts that do not have sidewalks, or only have a sidewalk on one side of the street. WalkMassachusetts believes residents have the right to feel safe walking in these places, too.

Additionally, raised crosswalks and speed humps should be considered in every community when redesigning streets, especially if residents have been killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes. Temporary solutions like removable speed humps should be considered as a stopgap measure before full reconstruction can happen. These temporary actions provide immediate increases to walking safety while not requiring resource intensive full street redesign, and gives a community the ability to pilot changes to dangerous streets.

A walk audit can help identify places that need short term action for safety changes, while also sketching out a longer term vision for transportation improvements.

You don’t have to go it alone

Share this report or the  Walk Audit Academy  resources with friends or neighbors, and make a plan for a community walk audit this year. Many hands make lighter work, and more perspectives and voices can help you raise the issues you find to decision makers in your municipality.

WalkMassachusetts offers a Walk Audit Academy Training program, where our staff will work with a cohort of 3-5 groups within a community (like we recently did in  Worcester  and  Springfield ). The program educates residents on how to recognize hazardous walking conditions in their communities and develop the skills and networks necessary to advocate for built environment changes that make streets safer for all users. Want to bring a cohort of the Walk Audit Academy to your community?  Get in touch .

 We're also building a statewide network  of individuals, advocacy organizations, municipal committees, community groups working on walking, and other pedestrian-focused transportation professionals. Currently, we host a monthly  WalkMassachusetts Network  speaker series, which typically meets every third Wednesday of each month at 1pm.  Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls.   Join the Google Group to get email reminders Can’t attend mid-day, but really interested in one of the talks? We record the presentations and stop the recording before any Q&A.

We encourage you to use the information in this report to help make safer streets in your community, and to get in touch with us if we can help you push for change.

Data & Methodology

WalkMassachusetts tracked fatal crashes through the open data released on MassDOT’s IMPACT Crash Portal throughout 2023 to better understand where and why these crashes happen. This database displays crashes from police data; race/ethnicity information is not included in this dataset. (As this dataset is not yet closed for editing,  please read MassDOT's disclaimer at the bottom of this page . We've also pasted it in full below.)

 Each month, we reviewed the crash sites listed on the Fatal Crash Information Dashboard  from the month before. We checked the  MassDOT Road Inventory  to determine the jurisdiction and speed limit, and then used Google Street View to find additional local context. Local news articles and interviews often provided more information about the victims and crash locations, especially when reporters spoke to neighbors or other people. Some of the pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the  Road Inventory Viewer . We have also used the  MassGIS-MassDOT Roads layer  to check for speed limit information.

After gathering a full year of data (January 1-December 31, 2023), we compared the crashes that we wrote about in our monthly crash posts to the current fatal crashes that were listed in the MassDOT IMPACT Fatal Crash Information Dashboard as of March 25, 2024. We discovered writing the 2021 report that some crashes may not be included in the dataset after FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) / NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) review. In 2023, at least 7 individuals who were initially reported as dying from crashes are not included in the data after this federal determination (available on the non-FARS tab on the '2023-YearInReview-Public' spreadsheet in Google Drive folder below); at least one of these crashes included a person who died from their injuries more than 30 days after the crash.

We updated the StoryMap to reflect data as of March 25, 2024 to represent the most up-to-date information that MassDOT has provided. This report was published on Friday, March 30, 2024. Compiled data are available  in a Google Drive folder here .

You can also find more information on the  MassDOT Impact Crash Portal . They provide dashboards as well as ways that you can run custom queries on data. For example, our report does not include information about serious injuries, but  according to the ‘Statewide Crashes by Severity and Year’ Dashboard , at least 371 pedestrians were seriously injured in 2023 (in last year's report, this number was 325). Per MassDOT's disclaimer, the most current information on IMPACT regarding motor vehicle fatalities can be found at (https://apps.impact.dot.state.ma.us/cdp/dashboard-view/2047/). Other places on IMPACT may not be as current and the motor vehicle fatality information may not match.

Disclaimer: MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry ( http://www.mass.gov/rmv/ ). The most current information on IMPACT regarding motor vehicle fatalities can be found at (https://apps.impact.dot.state.ma.us/cdp/dashboard-view/2047/). Other places on IMPACT may not be as current and the motor vehicle fatality information may not match. The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2020 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 407).

MassDOT: Crash Data Portal

About WalkMassachusetts

Mission WalkMassachusetts makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment, and more vibrant communities.

Vision A Massachusetts where people walking – no matter their race, identity, age, ability, or lived experience – feel safe, connected, and valued on our streets and sidewalks.

Values

  • Community: We believe in the power of community. Walkable places foster community spirit, vibrancy, and health. Our advocacy is community driven and community empowering.
  • Equity: We embrace an inclusive definition of walkability that accounts for the lived experiences of all people. We prioritize working in places that have experienced historic disinvestment.
  • Partnership: WalkMassachusetts never works alone. We partner with community members, local non-profits, municipal and state agency staff, and elected officials to achieve common goals.

Learn more, or make a contribution to support our work at  walkmass.org 

Pedestrian Fatality and Serious injury risk; 13% at 20 mph, 40% at 30 mph, 73% at 40 mph. Cone of Vision: At 20 mph driver able to see road and roadside, at 30 mph driver able to see roadway, at 40 mph driver can only see small portion of center of roadway. Image accessed at  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-speed-management  on March 18, 2024.

Pedestrian crash deaths as of 3/26/2024 from MassDOT " Fatal Crash Information " dashboard. (2015 is first year available in that source.)

School Zone assembly in Holbrook, MA.  Photo included on p 18 of presentation to MassDOT Board . Accessed 3/19/2024.

While fatal pedestrian crash numbers were similar in Boston and Springfield in 2023, the rate was much higher in Springfield.

Rebecca Willoughby, a resident of Independence House in Springfield, joins members of Walk/Bike Springfield and WalkMassachusetts on a walking audit to check on pedestrian safety in the area of the Jordan Senior Center and Putnam High. From left are Betsy Johnson of Walk/Bike Springfield, Willoughby, Deborah Hunter of Walk/Bike Springfield and Brendan Kearney, co-executive director of Walk Massachusetts. They are crossing Roosevelt Avenue. (Don Treeger / The Republican). Link to full story:  https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/10/more-than-20-pedestrians-have-died-on-springfield-streets-since-2020-whats-being-done-to-make-roads-safer.html 

People age 65 and over made up 31.9% of pedestrian crash deaths in 2023, even though only 18% of the Massachusetts population is 65 or over according to the US Census population estimate from July 2022.

Type of vehicles involved in these fatal crashes: 70.8% passenger cars, 21.5% light trucks*, 4.6% larger vehicle, 1.5% motorcycle, 1.5% single-unit truck. *All vans, minivans, pickups, and SUVs are combined into the "light truck" category.

A Bloomberg CityLab article, " What Happened to Pickup Trucks? " from March 11, 2021 featured a photo of author Angie Schmitt's 4-year old son in front of a Ford F-250.