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Cambridge Crash Report
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Police-reported motor-vehicle crashes in Cambridge over three complete years, drawn from the state's crash records. Totals, fatalities, bicyclist and pedestrian counts, and the city's most crash-prone roads.
Cambridge totals, 2022 to 2024. Fatal, bicyclist, and pedestrian figures count crashes in which at least one such outcome or road user was involved.
What to do after a crash in Cambridge
- Stop. Do not leave until you have exchanged information with the other driver and, if anyone is injured, police have been notified.
- Call 911 if anyone is injured, if a vehicle cannot be driven safely, or if the other driver is uncooperative.
- Exchange name, address and vehicle registration with the other driver, and get contact details for witnesses before they leave.
- Photograph the damage, the road, the position of the vehicles and any visible injuries.
- File the Crash Operator Report with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles within five days if anyone was injured or killed or property damage appears to exceed one thousand dollars.
- Report the crash to your own insurer promptly and get a medical evaluation even if you feel only minor soreness.
The full reporting rules are in how to report a car accident in Massachusetts.
Where Cambridge ranks in Massachusetts
Rank among all 349 Massachusetts cities and towns in the crash record, 2022 to 2024. A lower number means more crashes of that type.
| Measure | Cambridge | Statewide rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total crashes | 4,774 | 15th of 349 |
| Fatal crashes | 7 | 34th of 349 |
| Bicyclist crashes | 384 | 1st of 349 |
| Pedestrian crashes | 220 | 4th of 349 |
Reading the Cambridge numbers
Over 2022 to 2024, Cambridge recorded 4,774 police-reported crashes, of which 1,097 involved an injury and 7 were fatal. Its fatality rate works out to 1.5 fatal crashes per 1,000 crashes. Vulnerable road users account for a measurable share of the total: 384 crashes involved a bicyclist and 220 involved a pedestrian.
The single most crash-prone named road in the Cambridge record is Massachusetts Avenue E, with 20 crashes in the most recent year of data. The full list of the city's highest-crash roads appears below.
Manner of collision is how the vehicles first came together, as the reporting officer recorded it, and by that measure the most common crash in Cambridge is the same-direction sideswipe. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 16.7 percent of Cambridge's reported crashes. Angle collisions, where vehicles meet at an angle because their paths cross, were 27.0 percent. Single vehicle crashes, which involve one motor vehicle, such as a car leaving the road or striking a pedestrian, were 12.5 percent, and head-on collisions, front to front, were 2.6 percent. Statewide the first three are 28.1, 23.9 and 22.9 percent. How the mix differs from town to town, and why it moves the injury and fatal rates, is set out in what kind of crash is most common in each Massachusetts town.
Most crash-prone roads in Cambridge
Named roadways with the most crashes in Cambridge, most recent year of record. Road names are reproduced from the MassDOT records and lightly formatted for readability.
| # | Road | Crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Avenue E | 20 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Avenue W | 17 |
| 3 | Cambridge Street E | 12 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Ave N | 10 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Avenue N | 8 |
| 6 | Alewife Brook Parkway 6 | 8 |
| 7 | Alewife Brook Parkway | 7 |
| 8 | John F Kennedy Street | 7 |
What the fatality rate means
Cambridge's fatality rate is 1.5 fatal crashes for every 1,000 crashes on record. In plain terms, out of every 1,000 reported crashes in Cambridge, about 1.5 ended in a death. The rate lets you compare severity across cities of very different sizes, because it does not simply reward the city with the most traffic.
If you were injured in Cambridge
Jim Glaser Law handles Massachusetts motor-vehicle injury matters for Cambridge residents. The first telephone consultation with the firm is offered without charge; the intake line is answered 24 hours a day.
Source and data
Source: MassDOT IMPACT Crash Data Portal (Massachusetts RMV crash records), 2022 to 2024 data. Fatality context: NHTSA FARS. Analysis by Jim Glaser Law; not affiliated with or endorsed by MassDOT.
This report presents general public-record data and legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Massachusetts law is fact-specific; telephone Jim Glaser Law about your particular situation. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Attorney advertising under Mass. R. Prof. C. 7.1 to 7.5. Responsible attorney: Jim Glaser, admitted in MA only, of counsel to Keches Law. Principal office: 77 Pond St., Sharon, MA. Most cases referred to other jurisdictionally licensed lawyers for principal liability.