Chicago Traffic Crash Reports from 2015

Citywide crash data from Chicago Police Department's electronic reporting system is available from September 2017, with some district records starting in 2015. The dataset contains records of traffic collisions on city streets under CPD jurisdiction, following the Illinois SR1050 report format. Data is updated as reports are finalized or amended.

Use Cases

• Analyzing primary and secondary contributory causes using PRIM_CONTRIBUTORY_CAUSE and SEC_CONTRIBUTORY_CAUSE columns.
• Studying injury severity patterns via MOST_SEVERE_INJURY and specific injury count columns like INJURIES_FATAL and INJURIES_NON_INCAPACITATING.
• Evaluating environmental factors in crashes using ROADWAY_SURFACE_COND, WEATHER_CONDITION, and TRAFFIC_CONTROL_DEVICE.
• Mapping crash locations and timing using STREET_NAME, CRASH_DATE, CRASH_HOUR, and BEAT_OF_OCCURRENCE.

Strengths

• Includes detailed crash parameters such as contributory causes, injury types, and environmental conditions from the SR1050 form.
• Provides temporal granularity with specific CRASH_DATE and CRASH_HOUR columns.
• Data is updated when reports are amended, allowing for corrections.

Limitations

• Citywide coverage is not complete until September 2017, with only partial data from some districts in 2015.
• Crash parameters like weather and road conditions are officer assessments and may disagree with posted information.
• Excludes crashes on interstate highways, freeway ramps, and boundary roads where CPD was not the responding agency.

Provenance

Source

Chicago Police Department (CPD)

Collection Method

Records from the electronic crash reporting system (E-Crash), with about half self-reported by drivers and half recorded by responding officers.

Time Range

2015 to present

Freshness

2026-03-22

Geography

City streets within Chicago limits under CPD jurisdiction