How Many Crashes Happen on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts Outside Route 128?

From 2022 through 2024, MassDOT crash records place 3,039 crashes on Interstate 95 outside the Route 128 beltway, 17 of them fatal: 2,302 crashes and 11 deaths on the south leg from the Rhode Island line through Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxborough and Sharon to Canton, and 737 crashes and 6 deaths on the north leg from Peabody to the New Hampshire line at Salisbury. Both legs record fatal crashes at a higher rate than Massachusetts interstates as a whole: 4.78 per 1,000 crashes on the south leg and 8.14 on the north leg, against 3.78 for every crash on an Interstate-class road in the state and 2.68 for all crashes. The counts are small enough that each death moves the rate, so this page gives the counts as well as the rates, town by town.

If you were hurt in a crash on Interstate 95 and want to talk through what comes next, call Jim Glaser Law at (617) JIM-WINS. The line is answered 24 hours a day. The first telephone consultation is free. The firm’s office is in Sharon, on the south leg of this road. This page is general information about Massachusetts law and public crash data, not legal advice about your situation.

Which Part of Interstate 95 This Page Covers

Interstate 95 crosses Massachusetts in three pieces, and MassDOT’s records name each one differently.

1. The south leg, from the Rhode Island line in Attleboro north through North Attleborough, Mansfield, Foxborough, Sharon, Walpole and Norwood to Canton, where it meets Interstate 93 and Route 128.
2. The beltway, where Interstate 95 runs on the Yankee Division Highway around Boston from Canton and Dedham to Peabody. That stretch is covered in our article on Route 128 crash data, because the crash records name it as the Yankee Division Highway.
3. The north leg, where Interstate 95 leaves Route 128 in Peabody and runs north through Danvers, Topsfield, Boxford, Georgetown, Rowley, Newbury, Newburyport and Amesbury to Salisbury and the New Hampshire line.

This page covers the first and third pieces. Together they pass through 18 communities in three counties: Bristol (Attleboro, North Attleborough, Mansfield), Norfolk (Foxborough, Sharon, Walpole, Norwood, Canton) and Essex (the ten north leg towns).

How These Numbers Were Counted, and Why It Matters

Every MassDOT crash record carries two kinds of location. One is the roadway description, the text the reporting officer types, such as “I95 NB” or “Rte 95 N”. The other is the road-inventory street name, the official name MassDOT attaches when it places the crash on its road map (a process called geocoding).

The difference turned out to matter. From 2023, most State Police crash records carry a mile marker location and a blank typed roadway description. Statewide, crash records with a blank roadway description rose from 223 in 2022 to 7,543 in 2023 and 11,841 in 2024, and 11,555 of the 2024 blanks were State Police reports. A count built on the typed description of Interstate 95 falls from 2,986 in 2022 to 1,397 in 2024 for that reason alone. The road-inventory name “Interstate 95” does not have that problem: it holds steady at 1,031, 1,133 and 1,264 crashes statewide across the three years. This page uses the road-inventory name. Inside the beltway the inventory calls the road the Yankee Division Highway, which is why the beltway sits in a separate article.

Two smaller cautions. About 7 percent of the south leg records (164 of 2,302) carry a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less, which means they are ramp ends and crossing roads that the mapping matched to the interstate. And MassDOT crash records do not include traffic volume, so they cannot say whether a stretch is more dangerous or simply busier.

The South Leg: Attleboro to Canton

Community	County	I-95 crashes 2022 / 2023 / 2024	Three-year total	Fatal	Injury	Share of the town’s crashes
Attleboro	Bristol	216 / 214 / 224	654	0	170	20.2%
Foxborough	Norfolk	121 / 136 / 133	390	4	95	24.2%
Sharon	Norfolk	114 / 111 / 147	372	3	105	29.7%
North Attleborough	Bristol	81 / 79 / 117	277	1	69	17.8%
Canton	Norfolk	74 / 90 / 93	257	1	61	18.7%
Mansfield	Bristol	62 / 58 / 71	191	1	43	12.9%
Norwood	Norfolk	37 / 18 / 28	83	0	23	7.2%
Walpole	Norfolk	28 / 22 / 28	78	1	14	6.4%
South leg		733 / 728 / 841	2,302	11	580	17.9%

Across the eight towns, Interstate 95 accounts for 17.9 percent of all crashes (2,302 of 12,882) but 26.8 percent of fatal crashes (11 of 41). The injury share on the south leg is 25.20 percent, against 23.09 percent for Interstate-class roads statewide and 22.89 percent for all crashes.

Attleboro has the most Interstate 95 crashes of any community on either leg, 654 over three years, and none of them was fatal. The deaths cluster farther north. Foxborough recorded 4 fatal crashes on the interstate and Sharon 3, and those two towns account for 7 of the south leg’s 11.

Sharon and Foxborough

Sharon is the clearest case of a town whose crash record is shaped by the highway running through it. Interstate 95 carries 29.7 percent of Sharon’s crashes, 372 of 1,254, and 3 of its 8 fatal crashes. Sharon’s overall rate of 6.38 fatal crashes per 1,000 is the third highest of the 116 Massachusetts communities with 1,000 or more crashes in the three years. Foxborough’s 6.22 is fifth, with 4 of its 10 fatal crashes on Interstate 95. Neither figure says local streets in those towns are unusually dangerous; it says a 65 mile per hour interstate runs through both, and 86.5 percent of the south leg crashes (1,992 of 2,302) were on a stretch posted at 65.

Town-level crash summaries are on the Sharon crash report, the Foxborough crash report and the Attleboro crash report.

What kind of crashes

Combining the two codes MassDOT uses for a rear-end collision (“Rear-end” and “Front to Rear”), rear-end crashes are 45.3 percent of the south leg total (1,042 of 2,302). Single vehicle crashes, where one vehicle leaves the road or strikes a guardrail, sign or median, are 29.2 percent (673), and same-direction sideswipes, typical of lane changes, are 19.3 percent (444). The fatal crashes are weighted the other way: 6 of the 11 were single vehicle crashes, 3 rear-end and 2 same-direction sideswipes.

Light conditions follow the same pattern. Most crashes happen in daylight, 60.6 percent (1,394), but 6 of the 11 fatal crashes happened in the dark on a stretch with no roadway lighting, a condition that accounts for 28.7 percent of all south leg crashes (661). Crashes peak in the morning commute (160 in the 7 a.m. hour, 165 at 8 a.m.) and the afternoon (165 at 3 p.m., 156 at 5 p.m.), and by month in December (223) and November (222).

The North Leg: Peabody to Salisbury

Community	I-95 crashes 2022 / 2023 / 2024	Three-year total	Fatal	Injury	Share of the town’s crashes
Peabody	33 / 42 / 68	143	0	32	3.8%
Boxford	45 / 48 / 45	138	0	33	37.4%
Danvers	32 / 32 / 24	88	0	21	6.6%
Georgetown	34 / 24 / 23	81	1	17	18.5%
Newbury	29 / 22 / 21	72	3	18	27.1%
Salisbury	25 / 21 / 20	66	0	11	8.9%
Newburyport	20 / 17 / 21	58	1	9	7.6%
Amesbury	18 / 15 / 12	45	0	10	5.1%
Topsfield	8 / 13 / 11	32	1	7	10.9%
Rowley	7 / 1 / 6	14	0	4	5.9%
North leg	251 / 235 / 251	737	6	162	8.1%

The north leg is a different road. It carries fewer crashes, steady at about 245 a year, through smaller towns. Single vehicle crashes are the largest group, 51.4 percent (379 of 737), against 21.0 percent rear-end (155, both codes combined) and 17.0 percent same-direction sideswipes (125). Snow, ice and slush were recorded on 10.0 percent of north leg crashes (74) against 4.0 percent on the south leg (93 of 2,302).

Six people died in crashes on the north leg in the three years, giving a rate of 8.14 per 1,000, the highest figure on this page and the one that rests on the fewest deaths. Newbury accounts for 3 of the 6, which is also 3 of the town’s 4 fatal crashes on any road. The injury share runs the other way: 21.98 percent of north leg crashes involved injury, below both the Interstate-class figure (23.09) and the south leg (25.20). A road where more crashes are single vehicle, and fewer are the stop-and-go rear-end collisions of commuter traffic, can produce fewer injury crashes and more deaths at the same time.

Boxford stands out for share rather than severity: Interstate 95 holds 37.4 percent of all crashes recorded in the town (138 of 369), none fatal. Peabody’s count rose from 33 to 68 over the three years, the only large swing on either leg, so its total is best read alongside the years. Peabody’s auto accident page covers the city as a whole.

Who Reports These Crashes

The State Police reported 96.1 percent of the south leg crashes (2,213) and 97.7 percent of the north leg (720). That matters for how the numbers can be read. Elsewhere on this site, town-to-town differences in fields such as hit-and-run or distraction often reflect how each local department fills in its reports. On Interstate 95 one agency writes almost every report, so the town figures are more comparable than most. About 4.5 percent of south leg crashes (103) and 4.3 percent of north leg crashes (32) involved a vehicle the federal rules treat as reportable, generally a large truck or bus; see our truck accident claims article for how those claims differ.

Answer Capsule

MassDOT crash records for 2022 through 2024 place 3,039 crashes and 17 fatal crashes on Interstate 95 outside the Route 128 beltway. The south leg, Attleboro to Canton through Bristol and Norfolk Counties, recorded 2,302 crashes and 11 fatal (4.78 per 1,000); the north leg, Peabody to Salisbury in Essex County, recorded 737 and 6 fatal (8.14 per 1,000). Every Interstate-class crash in Massachusetts runs 3.78 per 1,000 and all crashes 2.68. Interstate 95 holds 29.7 percent of Sharon’s crashes and 3 of its 8 fatal ones, and 4 of Foxborough’s 10. Rear-end crashes lead on the south leg (45.3 percent), single vehicle crashes on the north (51.4 percent). The State Police reported more than 96 percent of these crashes. Counts here use MassDOT’s road-inventory street name, because the typed roadway field is blank on most State Police reports from 2023.

The Law That Applies to an Interstate 95 Crash

The legal rules are the same as for any Massachusetts crash, but three of them come up more often on an interstate.

The report. Under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 26, every driver in a crash in which anyone is killed or injured, or in which damage to any one vehicle or property is more than $1,000, must report it in writing to the Registrar within five days and send a copy to the police department with jurisdiction over the road. On Interstate 95 that is almost always the State Police. Our article on reporting a car accident in Massachusetts covers the form.

Out-of-state drivers. Interstate 95 carries traffic to and from Rhode Island and New Hampshire, so many crashes involve a driver who does not live in Massachusetts. Under c. 90, sec. 3A, a nonresident who drives on a Massachusetts way is treated as having appointed the Registrar to accept legal papers in an action arising from that driving, and c. 90, sec. 3C sets out how that service works. Our article on crashes with out-of-state drivers in border towns goes further.

Where a case is filed. Where the crash happened does not decide the county. Under c. 223, sec. 1, a civil injury case is brought in the county where one of the parties lives or has a usual place of business. A crash in Sharon between two drivers who live in Worcester County and Rhode Island is not a Norfolk County case for that reason. The site’s venue pieces for Bristol County and Essex County explain the court options in more detail.

A defect in the road itself. Interstate 95 is a state highway. Under c. 81, sec. 18, the Commonwealth is liable for injuries caused by a defect within the constructed traveled roadway of a state highway, but not during construction, reconstruction or repair, and the recovery cannot exceed one fifth of one percent of the town’s valuation or $4,000, whichever is less. The notice rules of c. 84, sec. 18 apply: written notice within thirty days, and any action within three years. A claim that grows out of a work zone usually runs against a driver or a contractor instead; see our work zone crash data article.

Stopped vehicles on the shoulder. Breakdowns and police stops on the shoulder are routine on a 65 mile per hour road. The duties of drivers passing them are covered in our article on the Massachusetts move over law.

What These Numbers Do Not Show

• They do not include traffic volume, so they do not rank Interstate 95 against other roads by risk per mile driven.
• Rates built on 6 or 11 deaths can move sharply with one crash. Newbury’s 3 fatal crashes, for example, are a count, not a trend.
• The counts are crashes, not people; a crash with three injured occupants counts once.
• Ramp ends and crossing roads matched to the interstate are included, about 7 percent of the south leg.
• Fault is not recorded in this data. Who caused any particular crash is decided by the evidence in that case.

For the statewide picture, see the Massachusetts crash report, our Interstate 93 and Interstate 495 articles, and crash data by speed limit. Injury claims from highway crashes are explained on our auto accidents page.

Key terms

• MassDOT IMPACT crash data: the state’s public database of police-reported crashes, used for every number on this page.
• Interstate-class road: a road MassDOT classifies as part of the Interstate highway system, the benchmark used here.
• Single vehicle crash: a crash involving only one vehicle, such as leaving the road or striking a guardrail.
• Geocoding: placing a crash on MassDOT’s road map, which attaches the official road-inventory street name.
• Fatal crashes per 1,000: the number of crashes with at least one death for every 1,000 recorded crashes.
• Transitory action: the legal term for an ordinary injury lawsuit, which c. 223, sec. 1 places in the county where a party lives or does business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many crashes happen on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts?

A: Outside the Route 128 beltway, MassDOT records 3,039 crashes on Interstate 95 from 2022 through 2024: 2,302 on the south leg from Attleboro to Canton and 737 on the north leg from Peabody to Salisbury. The beltway stretch, recorded as the Yankee Division Highway, is counted in the Route 128 article.

Q: How many people die in crashes on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts?

A: The records show 17 fatal crashes on the two legs outside the beltway in the three years: 11 on the south leg and 6 on the north leg. That is 4.78 and 8.14 fatal crashes per 1,000, against 3.78 for all Interstate-class crashes in Massachusetts.

Q: Which town has the most crashes on Interstate 95?

A: Attleboro, with 654 crashes over three years and none fatal. Foxborough (390) and Sharon (372) follow, and those two towns account for 7 of the south leg’s 11 fatal crashes.

Q: Why is Sharon’s crash fatality rate so high?

A: Largely because of Interstate 95. The highway carries 29.7 percent of Sharon’s crashes and 3 of its 8 fatal crashes, and Sharon’s overall 6.38 fatal crashes per 1,000 is the third highest of the 116 communities with 1,000 or more crashes. The data does not include traffic volume, so it cannot say the road is more dangerous than another, only where the deaths were recorded.

Q: Who investigates a crash on Interstate 95?

A: Almost always the State Police, who wrote 96.1 percent of the south leg reports and 97.7 percent of the north leg reports. Each driver still has a separate duty under c. 90, sec. 26 to file a written report with the Registrar within five days when anyone is hurt or damage is over $1,000.

Q: Which court hears an Interstate 95 crash case?

A: Not the court for the town where the crash happened. Under c. 223, sec. 1, an injury case is brought in the county where one of the parties lives or has a usual place of business, so the parties’ addresses, not the mile marker, decide the county.

Q: Can I sue the state for a pothole on Interstate 95?

A: Possibly, within tight limits. Under c. 81, sec. 18, the Commonwealth is liable for a defect within the traveled roadway of a state highway, except during construction or repair, up to the lesser of one fifth of one percent of the town’s valuation or $4,000. Written notice is due within thirty days under c. 84, sec. 18.

Q: Is Jimmy Knows AI giving me legal advice?

A: No. This page is general information about Massachusetts law and public MassDOT crash data for educational purposes. It is not legal advice for your situation and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your own crash, call Jim Glaser Law at (617) JIM-WINS.

Talking to a Lawyer

An interstate crash usually means a State Police report, a driver who may live in another state, and higher speeds than a local road. If you were hurt on Interstate 95, call Jim Glaser Law at (617) JIM-WINS. The line is answered 24 hours a day. The first telephone consultation is free.