Distribution of traffic crashes by age - 2024 (in groups 0-9, 10-19, etc.)

Findings:

• In all of Chicago people between 20-39 are in by far the most crashes with ages 20-29 in around 25% of crashes and ages 30-39 in around 23% of all crashes

• In Ward 2 people between 20-29 are in the most crashes with about 30% of all crashes in Ward 2. Age group 30-39 has the second most crashes at about 23% of all ward 2 crashes

• In both Chicago and all of Ward 2 the elderly and youth make up a very small number of total crashes

  • In Chicago people under 20 and over 80 together made up a little over 10% of all crashes 

  • In Ward 2 under 20 and over 80 together made up a little under 10% of all crashes 

• A zoom in on the group with the most crashes in Ward 2 (20-29) showed that most crashes were coming from people likely out of  college (23-29) with about 82.5% of crashes in that age group while a people in that age group still in college (20-22) got in a lot less crashes at 17.5% of total crashes in that age group

Median Crashes in Chicago vs Ward 2 Crashes by Age - 2024 (in groups 0-9, 10-19, etc.)

Findings:

• For almost all age groups the difference between the Median number of crashes in Chicago and the Ward 2 crashes by age was under 30, however there were some groups that were very different

• Ages 0-19 had a significantly smaller number of crashes in Ward 2 than the median crashes in Chicago. Ward 2 had over 150 less crashes than the median.

• Ages 20-29 had a significantly larger number of crashes in Ward 2 than the median Crashes in Chicago. Ward 2 had almost 200 more crashes and was 23% greater than the median number of crashes in Chicago.

Injury Types in Chicago v.s Ward 2

• Most of the reports on crashes that did not have an injury with it were reported not on scene

• Could mean that more drivers go to report a crash at a police station

• Reflects that the crashes are most likely not so bad that a car is impaired and unable to drive to get a report

• But could also perhaps mean that since these are low damage crashes that perhaps something about the infrastructure or environments is not catered to the high density traffic. 

• The second ward had approx. 2500 crashes that were off scene no injury reports which is around 2.1% of the total off scene no injury reports, however since there are 50 wards, and 250,000 total all city off scene no injury reports that would be around 2,400 per ward if the crashes were distributed evenly, putting it above the average, however since there are approx 55,000 residents living in Chicago, its not that much of an increase

• Most reports on crashes that had an injury were reported on scene

• This reflects that the city of Chicago has an efficient emergency response report system, and that injuries were most likely responded to quickly

• This finding makes sense because obviously cities should have a quick report system due to high population rates

• This could also represent a good care system that responds to injuries at a rate that allows for an injury to be taken care of before it potentially gets worse

• The second ward has approx. 1,000 on scene injury reports, while the city has approx. 60,000, which means that the second ward carried about 1.67% of the total injury on scene report crashes, which is very close to the off scene no report crashes

• This is the same trend that is seen in the whole city of Chicago and Ward 2

Top Ten Wards in Chicago with Elderly Crashes over time

Findings:

• The top ten wards with elderly crashes have stayed relatively consistent in the past 3 years

• This reflects that these wards are probably not implementing anything to help lessen these crashes

• This could mean that the amount of elderly residing in the ward has stayed consistent over time

• For the past three years Ward 21 has been either the top or second ward with the most elderly crashes

• The second ward is not in the top ten wards for any of the last 3 years

• This may mean that whatever the second ward is implementing to help with traffic control is something they should continue in the future.

Traffic Control Frequency for Elderly Crashes

Findings:

• Crashes at intersections with no traffic controls are the most common type of crash for elderly people in the second ward

• This reflects a large easier place to make difference as it may be helpful to simply add in a traffic light or a stop sign.

• Crashes at traffic signals have decreased slightly over the past three years.

• This shows that whatever devices the second ward has been implementing at traffic signals is working.

• The devices being used could probably continue to decrease the amount of crashes

• The difference in crashes at intersections with traffic controls versus without has increased within the last 3 years.

• This reflects a high risk situation that is becoming increasingly more important

• This could mean that controls such as stop signs, traffic lights, etc. need to be implemented in order to protect civilians.

• Crashes at pedestrian crossing signs have only shown up in the last 2 years.

• This may mean that these signs are not the most effective way to prevent traffic accidents, especially for elderly people.