Fatal crashes in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
In 2024, 13 people died in 13 fatal crashes in Berkshire County, 44.4% more than in 2023. From 2015 to 2024 the county recorded 119 fatal crashes and 122 deaths, the 10th most of any county in Massachusetts.
10.1 deaths per 100,000 residents, against 5.1 across Massachusetts in 2024; 9.5 against 5.3 a year over 2015 to 2024. Population 128,726, Census Bureau estimate. All fatal crashes in Massachusetts.
Deaths in Berkshire County by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 13 | 13 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 |
| 2022 | 9 | 11 |
| 2021 | 10 | 10 |
| 2020 | 15 | 15 |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 |
| 2018 | 16 | 16 |
| 2017 | 10 | 11 |
| 2016 | 12 | 12 |
| 2015 | 12 | 12 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
The deadliest roads in Berkshire County
US 7 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Berkshire County from 2015 to 2024: 15, with 17 deaths. The 5 roads listed held 39% of all fatal crashes in Berkshire County from 2015 to 2024; 1 is an interstate, 2 US routes, 2 state highways. Interstate, US and state routes with 5 or more fatal crashes in the county; county roads and city streets are in the county's total but not listed.
| Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US 7 | 15 | 17 | 5 | no page |
| 2 | US 20 | 11 | 12 | 5 | |
| 3 | State Highway 8 | 10 | 10 | 2 | no page |
| 4 | I-90 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
| 5 | State Highway 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Cities NHTSA filed, with their fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024: Pittsfield 21, Lenox 10, Sheffield 7, North Adams 7, Great Barrington 7, Adams 6, Becket 6. The city is not filed for crashes outside a city.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen in Berkshire County
Too few crashes to name a heaviest slot. The grid shows the shares; a share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 5.1 percent, 6 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.9 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 5 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.9 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 5.1 percent, 6 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 1.7 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 6.8 percent, 8 fatal crashes | 4.2 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 3.4 percent, 4 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan5.9%
- Feb6.7%
- Mar2.5%
- Apr16.8%
- May10.9%
- Jun6.7%
- Jul11.8%
- Aug7.6%
- Sep10.9%
- Oct9.2%
- Nov5.0%
- Dec5.9%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
What fatal crashes in Berkshire County first hit
The first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in 35%; a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 35%, a pedestrian in 14%, a rollover in 4.2%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 42 | 35% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 41 | 35% |
| Pedestrian | 17 | 14% |
| Other | 10 | 8.4% |
| Rollover | 5 | 4.2% |
| Cyclist | 3 | 2.5% |
| Parked vehicle | 1 | 0.8% |
| 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 in Berkshire County compare with Massachusetts
A drinking driver was recorded in 25% of fatal crashes in Berkshire County from 2015 to 2024, below the Massachusetts share of 30%; speeding in 23%, below the Massachusetts share of 29%; a hit-and-run in 4.2%, about the Massachusetts share; a driver recorded as distracted in 14%, above the Massachusetts share of 12%; 63% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, above the Massachusetts share of 62%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Massachusetts. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Berkshire | Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural roads | 40% | 6.6% | above the Massachusetts share |
| At or near an intersection | 29% | 26% | above the Massachusetts share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 20% | 19% | above the Massachusetts share |
| A drinking driver | 25% | 30% | below the Massachusetts share |
| Speeding | 23% | 29% | below the Massachusetts share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 14% | 12% | above the Massachusetts share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 63% | 62% | above the Massachusetts share |
| Hit-and-run | 4.2% | 4.9% | about the same as the Massachusetts share |
| A motorcycle involved | 22% | 16% | above the Massachusetts share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 16% | 20% | below 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 in Berkshire County
- How many people died in car accidents in Berkshire County in 2024?
- 13 people died in 13 fatal crashes in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in 2024, 44.4% more than in 2023. That is 10.1 deaths per 100,000 residents, against 5.1 across Massachusetts.
- What is the deadliest road in Berkshire County?
- US 7 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Berkshire County from 2015 to 2024: 15, with 17 deaths.
- How many fatal crashes in Berkshire County involved a drinking driver?
- 30 of 119 fatal crashes in Berkshire County from 2015 to 2024 involved a driver NHTSA recorded as drinking, 25%, against 30% across Massachusetts.
Other counties in Massachusetts with a page
- Middlesex County
- Worcester County
- Bristol County
- Hampden County
- Norfolk County
- Plymouth County
- Essex County
- Suffolk County
- Barnstable County
- Hampshire County
- Franklin County
All fatal crashes in Massachusetts, with every county ranked.
Where the Berkshire County numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash NHTSA filed in Berkshire County (county code 3). A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The rate per 100,000 uses the Census Bureau's population estimate for the county; it is the only figure here not counted from FARS. The full method.