Reading Sees Uptick In Car Crashes

READING, MA — There were 631 motor vehicle crashes in Reading last year, the town's highest number since 2007, the furthest year back for which Massachusetts Department of Transportation is available. And the number of car crashes in Reading has risen every year since 2016, when the town had 594 crashes.

The rise in the number of crashes in Reading bucks state trends. Across Massachusetts, the total number of crashes dropped slightly in 2019 and 2018 after increasing in each of the eight previous years. Meanwhile the number of crashes in Reading has steadily risen since 2013, save for a small dip in 2016.

In 2019, there was one fatal crash, one serious injury crash and 36 minor injury crashes in Reading. The good news: the bulk of the crashes, 545, saw no injuries.

Of the 631 crashes, 145 were classified as "older driver related" and 147 were classified as "young driver related." There were six crashes involving pedestrians, one involving a bicycle and eight involving motorcycles.

According to intersection data from 2014-2016, the latest period it is available, the three intersections with the most crashes were Main Street and Franklin Street, Main Street and Washington Street and Main Street and Summer Avenue.