I-90 in Massachusetts: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 75 fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts killed 79 people, the 3rd most of 158 numbered roads in Massachusetts. In 2024 there were 6 fatal crashes and 6 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 5 counties of Massachusetts. All fatal crashes in Massachusetts. I-90 in every state.
Deaths on I-90 in Massachusetts by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 6 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 |
| 2021 | 11 | 11 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2019 | 8 | 8 |
| 2018 | 8 | 8 |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 |
| 2016 | 6 | 7 |
| 2015 | 8 | 11 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-90 in Massachusetts: the counties with the most fatal crashes
Worcester County had the most fatal crashes on I-90 from 2015 to 2024: 26, with 28 deaths. Worcester, Hampden and Suffolk counties together held 81% of fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts from 2015 to 2024. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worcester County | 2 | 26 | 28 |
| 2 | Hampden County | 3 | 22 | 23 |
| 3 | Suffolk County | 0 | 13 | 14 |
| 4 | Middlesex County | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| 5 | Berkshire County | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-90 in Massachusetts
75 fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts from 2015 to 2024 have a known time, too few for any one weekday and time of day to stand out. The worst hour is 5 pm to 6 pm; the worst month is February.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 8.0 percent, 6 fatal crashes | 5.3 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Thu | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Fri | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.0 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 1 fatal crash |
By hour
By month
- Jan5.3%
- Feb14.7%
- Mar10.7%
- Apr5.3%
- May5.3%
- Jun10.7%
- Jul13.3%
- Aug13.3%
- Sep2.7%
- Oct10.7%
- Nov4.0%
- Dec4.0%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-90 in Massachusetts
5.4 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 138 miles of I-90 in Massachusetts, against 8.5 for all interstates in Massachusetts. That ranks 3 of 3 interstates in Massachusetts and 126 of 172 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts first hit
The first harmful event was a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 36%; a collision with another vehicle in 35%, a pedestrian in 13%, a rollover in 5.3%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 27 | 36% |
| Collision with another vehicle | 26 | 35% |
| Pedestrian | 10 | 13% |
| Rollover | 4 | 5.3% |
| Parked vehicle | 4 | 5.3% |
| Other | 4 | 5.3% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts compare with the state
The largest difference from Massachusetts: from 2015 to 2024, 0.0% of fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts were at or near an intersection, against 26% across Massachusetts. Also above the Massachusetts share: distracted drivers. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Massachusetts. A share is only given over 20 crashes; above or below means more than chance would give on 75 crashes.
| I-90 | Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 9.3% | 6.6% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.0% | 26% | below the Massachusetts share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 24% | 19% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| A drinking driver | 27% | 30% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| Speeding | 32% | 29% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 20% | 12% | above the Massachusetts share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 65% | 62% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| Hit-and-run | 1.3% | 4.9% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| A motorcycle involved | 9.3% | 16% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 18% | 20% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes on I-90 in Massachusetts
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-90 in Massachusetts?
- 75 fatal crashes killed 79 people on I-90 in Massachusetts from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 6 fatal crashes and 6 deaths. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Where on I-90 in Massachusetts do the most fatal crashes happen?
- Worcester County had the most fatal crashes on I-90 from 2015 to 2024: 26, with 28 deaths. Hampden County was second with 22.
- How dangerous is I-90 in Massachusetts per mile?
- 5.4 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 138 miles of road, against 8.5 for all interstates in Massachusetts. That ranks 3 of 3 interstates in Massachusetts and 126 of 172 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in Massachusetts with a page
- I-495
- I-93
- I-95
- State Highway 140
- State Highway 24
- State Highway 28
- State Highway 3
- State Highway 9
- US 1
- US 20
All fatal crashes in Massachusetts, with every road ranked.
Where the I-90 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-90 in Massachusetts (filed under 6 spellings, such as "I-90", "I-90 E", "I-90 E MASS TURNPIKE", "I-90 W"). Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. Where two routes share a road, NHTSA files each crash under one of them, so a shared stretch counts on one route only. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. Totals in state and news reports for a road usually differ: they include ramps and frontage roads, or count from preliminary reports. The full method.