Monroe County, New York Crash Report:
2015–2024 Data and Trends
Summary
From 2015–2024, Monroe County recorded 170,948 reported crashes—about 47 crashes per day over the decade. In that same period, 40,115 crashes involved injuries (a total of 53,319 people injured), and 431 crashes were fatal, resulting in 451 traffic deaths. Monroe County’s population remained essentially flat (up about 0.85% between 2015 and 2024), so these changes are not explained by rapid growth.
The decade’s defining pattern is a severity shift. Total crashes increased 26.9% from 14,319 in 2015 to 18,168 in 2024—more than 30 times faster than population growth. Traffic fatalities rose 42% over the same period (33 traffic deaths in 2015 to 47 in 2024). In the post-2020 period, Monroe County averaged 23% more fatal crashes per year than the 2015–2019 average. While injury crashes declined about 17% after 2020, traffic fatalities increased, indicating a shift toward more severe collisions rather than more frequent minor injuries.
2019 marked the peak crash year with 21,157 total crashes; 2020 then dropped 24.8% with pandemic-related travel reductions. 2021 was the deadliest year of the decade, with 57 people killed in traffic crashes. Since 2018, Monroe County has averaged nearly 18,700 crashes annually—a sustained higher baseline than the mid-2010s. Large truck collisions showed the most sustained long-term growth of any category (+37% over the decade), increasing exposure to high-severity crash risk. As the data shows: although Monroe County's population increased less than 1% from 2015 to 2024, traffic fatalities rose 42%, and the fatality rate per 1,000 crashes increased after 2020, indicating a measurable rise in roadway lethality independent of population growth.
This report also includes a dedicated section on the City of Rochester, with charts and analysis for Rochester’s crash and traffic-death trends from 2015–2024. Rochester’s pattern mirrors the county’s—volume surge, then post-2020 severity spike—and in peak years the city accounts for a large share of county-wide traffic deaths.
In this report, "injury crashes" means crashes with at least one reported injury, and "fatal crashes" means crashes with at least one death; "people injured" and "people killed" are the total individuals injured or killed in traffic crashes. Data are from the ITSMR Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR). Downloadable charts are available below for transparency and further analysis.
Key Statistics at a Glance
Total Crashes Over Time (2015-2024)
Line Chart | Shows long-term trend across the county
Key takeaways
- • Biggest year-over-year swing: 2018 rose 45.6% from 2017 (13,526 → 19,699)
- • Long-run change: Total crashes increased 26.9% from 2015 (14,319) to 2024 (18,168)
- • Pandemic disruption and recovery: 2020 fell 24.8% from the 2019 peak (21,157 → 15,919), then stabilized; since 2018 the county has averaged nearly 18,700 crashes per year
Crash Severity Breakdown by Year
Grouped Bar Chart | Property Damage vs Injury Crashes
Key takeaways
- • Injury impact: 40,115 injury crashes resulted in 53,319 people injured (about 1.3 people injured per injury crash on average)
- • Property damage dominates: 130,403 crashes involved property damage only (76.3% of all crashes)
- • Severity shift after 2020: Injury crashes fell from 4,353 (2019) to 3,349 (2020), then leveled near 3,700 per year; property-damage-only crashes fell in 2020 then stabilized near 14,500 per year in 2022–2024
Fatal Crashes by Year
Bar Chart | Dedicated view of fatal crashes with appropriate scale
Fatal Crashes vs. Total Fatalities
Some crashes result in multiple traffic deaths. The chart above shows crash counts, while total traffic fatalities are shown below.
Fatal Crashes by Year:
Total Traffic Fatalities:
Fatal-crash insights
- • Scale of fatal crashes: 431 fatal crashes (451 traffic deaths) represent about 0.25% of all crashes over the decade
- • 2021 was the deadliest year: 57 people killed in traffic crashes and 55 fatal crashes; post-2020 fatal crashes averaged 47.6 per year vs 38.6 from 2015–2019 (23% increase)
- • Severity increased as volume dipped: Even with fewer total crashes after 2019, traffic fatalities rose—the fatality rate per 1,000 crashes increased after 2020, indicating a measurable rise in lethality per crash
Crash Type Breakdown
Pie Chart | Distribution by vehicle/person type
High-risk road users
Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists) and large trucks in Monroe County (2015–2024):
- • Large Trucks: 5,443 crashes (3.2% of total)—+37% over the decade, the most sustained growth of any category
- • Pedestrians: 2,875 crashes (1.7%)—slight decade increase (+4%); rebounded to pre-pandemic highs by 2024
- • Motorcycles: 2,061 crashes (1.2%)—+10% over the decade; new decade highs in 2022–2023
- • Bicycles: 1,775 crashes (1.0%)—down 15% over the decade but trending up since 2021
- • Passenger vehicles & other: Remainder of crashes. Categories associated with higher fatal probability (trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians) either increased or rebounded strongly.
Crash Type Trends Over Time
Multi-Line Chart | Year-by-year trends for vulnerable road users and large trucks
Trend insights
- • Large-truck crashes: +37% over the decade (451 in 2015 to 619 in 2024); baseline shifted after 2017—2015–2017 averaged 420/year vs 598/year from 2018–2024 (42% structural increase)
- • Pedestrian crashes: Sharp drop in 2020 (228), then rebounded; 2024 (331) nearly matches pre-pandemic peak; post-pandemic average 284/year vs pre-pandemic 313/year
- • Motorcycle crashes: +10% over the decade; set new decade highs in 2022 and 2023 (221 and 222); post-pandemic average 212/year vs pre-pandemic 198/year
- • Bicycle crashes: Down 15% over the decade (217 in 2015 to 184 in 2024); decade low in 2021 (119), then increased each year—post-pandemic average 161/year vs pre-pandemic 194/year
Year-Over-Year Percentage Change
Column Chart | % change from previous year
Key insights
- • Volatility: Year-to-year swings from -24.8% (2020) to +45.6% (2018)
- • Structural expansion (2018–2019): Total crashes jumped 56% from 2017 to 2019; 2020 contraction then stabilization near 18,200/year in 2022–2024
- • Two shock years: 2018’s spike (+45.6%) and 2020’s drop (-24.8%) define the decade’s volatility; post-2020 lethality per crash increased even as volume stayed below 2019
Rochester (City) Within Monroe County
The City of Rochester accounts for a significant share of Monroe County’s crash volume and an even larger share of its fatal outcomes in peak years. Below are city-level trends and how they compare to the county pattern.
CHART ROCH 1Rochester Total Crashes Over Time (2015–2024)
Line Chart | City of Rochester only
CHART ROCH 2
Rochester Fatal Crashes & Fatalities by Year
Bar Chart | Fatal crashes with total traffic fatalities
Rochester insights
- • Decade overview: Rochester saw the same pattern as the county: total crashes and traffic deaths rose sharply over the decade, while injury crashes and total injuries declined. So the city, like Monroe County as a whole, shifted toward more fatal outcomes and fewer moderate-injury events—a redistribution of harm rather than across-the-board growth.
- • Three phases: A stable baseline through 2017 gave way to a big volume surge in 2018–2019, when crashes in the city jumped by more than two-thirds. Fatal crashes did not rise in step with that surge. After 2020, crash counts settled lower than the 2019 peak, but severity spiked—especially in 2021, when Rochester recorded its worst year for fatal crashes and traffic deaths by a wide margin.
- • Lethality per crash: The share of Rochester crashes that were fatal dropped during the high-volume years, then shot up after 2020. By 2021 the fatal share was nearly three times what it had been at the 2019 volume peak. Rochester’s roads became measurably more lethal per crash in the latter part of the decade.
- • Deaths per 1,000 crashes: That same story shows up in traffic deaths per 1,000 crashes: the rate fell when volume was highest, spiked sharply in 2021, and has remained above the pre-2020 expansion period. The 2021 spike is a clear outlier and reflects a real shift in severity, not random variation.
- • Rochester’s role in county severity: In 2021, Monroe County had 57 traffic deaths and Rochester had 30. So more than half of all county traffic deaths that year occurred within the city. Urban roadway risk is a major driver of county-level severity—when Rochester’s lethality spikes, the whole county’s numbers reflect it.
- In short: Rochester’s total crashes rose over the decade while traffic fatalities rose even more, and the fatal share of crashes nearly tripled from its 2019 low to its 2021 peak. That points to a real increase in urban crash lethality, independent of overall crash volume.
Download Charts
Each chart is available as an individual PNG download using the button directly below it. To download all eight charts at once, use the button below. All images include a watermark and source attribution.
Methodology & Data Sources
All statistics and charts on this page are based on data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR). We used TSSR’s Monroe County tables for years 2015 through 2024 and compiled totals by year, crash severity, and road user type to present a descriptive overview of long-run trends. Monroe County includes the city of Rochester and surrounding towns; this report does not break out municipality-level data.
This report is intended to be educational and data‑driven. It summarizes reported crashes and outcomes and does not attempt to explain why changes occurred. Year-to-year shifts can reflect many factors, including changes in travel patterns, enforcement, reporting, roadway conditions, and vehicle and driver behavior.
Notes and limitations: “Crashes,” “injury crashes,” “injuries,” “fatal crashes,” and “traffic fatalities” are reported as defined in TSSR. Counts represent reported incidents and may be affected by reporting practices and data updates.
Data source
- ITSMR Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR): https://www.itsmr.org/traffic-safety-statistical-repository/ (Monroe County tables, 2015–2024; accessed February 2026)
Related: Nassau County Accident Report 2015–2024 | Blog
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