Traffic Accidents in Lancaster County – 2019 Data

What Lancaster County road has the most accidents? What age group is the most accident-prone? By looking at the latest PennDOT data, we can find out this information. 

Pennsylvania Crash Stats

Pennsylvania – the 9th most densely populated state in America – has a lot of roads and people moving on those roads. Whether people are commuting to their office in Philadelphia, driving a country backroad, or just passing through PA on their travels along the East Coast, Pennsylvania’s highways and roads are full of vehicles. In total, there were 125,267 traffic accidents in Pennsylvania in 2019 (the most recent year available).

Lancaster County Crash Statistics

While Lancaster City and other communities are walkable, you need to drive or get a ride to go anywhere of distance within Lancaster County. Because of the sheer number of vehicles on the local roads, it is no wonder that there are auto accidents in Lancaster County. In 2019, there were 5,954 road crashes in Lancaster County. This was 4.75% of Pennsylvania’s total number of accidents.

 

2019 Stats on Lancaster County Accidents

Using the most recent PennDOT data, we look at the most interesting statistics concerning traffic accidents in Lancaster County. This includes looking at accidents by location, accidents by time of day, and accidents by who was involved.

 

Accidents By Location

Given that parts of the major highways of Route 30, Route 222, and Route 283 run through Manheim Township, it is no surprise that they are leading the way with the highest percentage of accidents within Lancaster County.

Most Accident-Prone Roadway in Lancaster County:

  • Route 222 – 485 accidents (8.1%)
  • Route 30 – 404 accidents (6.8%)
  • Route 272 – 342 accidents (5.7%)
  • Route 462 – 334 accidents (5.6%)
  • Route 23 – 307 accidents (5.2%)
Municipalities with the Most Accidents:

  • Manheim Township – 777 (13.1%)
  • Lancaster City – 612 (10.3%)
  • East Hempfield Township – 368 (6.2%)
  • East Lampeter Township – 318 (5.3%)
  • East Cocalico Township – 216 (3.6%)
  • West Hempfield Township – 199 (3.3%)
  • Mount Joy Township – 178 (3.0%)
  • Rapho Township – 178 (3.0%)
  • West Lampeter Township – 172 (2.9%)
  • Manor Township – 167 (2.8%)

 

Accidents By Season

Months with the Most Accidents in Lancaster
Winter months are very prone to vehicle accidents. Cold weather and winter precipitation such as freezing rain and snow can make roads slick and unsafe.

  • October – 574 (9.64%)
  • February – 554 (9.30%)
  • January – 543 (9.12%)
  • August – 510 (8.57%)
  • December – 506 (8.50%)
  • November – 485 (8.15%)
  • March – 480 (8.06%)

 

Accidents by Time of Day

The afternoon (2 pm – 6 pm) is the most accident-prone time period. It is during these 4 hours that 31.73% of all accidents in Lancaster County occurred. Fridays saw the most accidents out of the week, while Sundays saw the fewest accidents. Stay safe and be alert during the Friday afternoon rush hour traffic. That is the time when accidents are most likely to occur.

Accidents by Day of the Week

  • Sunday – 696 (11.69%)
  • Monday – 831 (13.96%)
  • Tuesday – 830 (13.94%)
  • Wednesday – 885 (14.86%)
  • Thursday – 873 (14.66%)
  • Friday – 1030 (17.30%)
  • Saturday – 809 (13.59%)
Time of Day with the Most Accidents

  • 5-6 pm – 529 (8.9%)
  • 4-5 pm – 494 (8.3%)
  • 3-4 pm – 474 (8.0%)
  • 2-3 pm – 392 (6.6%)

 

Accidents by Involvement

Accidents involving TeensOut of all the accidents in Lancaster County in 2019, 16.1% of them involved a teenage driver.

  • 16 year olds 109        1.8%
  • 17 year olds 270      4.5%
  • 18 year olds 307      5.2%
  • 19 year olds 273      4.6%

 

Accidents involving Senior Citizens20.2% of all accidents in Lancaster involved at least one driver that was 65 or older, and 7.8% of all accidents involved a driver 75 or older.

  • 65-74 – 739 (12.4%)
  • 75+ – 463 (7.8%)

 

Accidents involving Buggies

In 2019, there were 29 accidents that involved a horse and buggy. There could be more accidents that involved Amish and Plain community members who were being driven in another vehicle, but that is not reported in the data.

 

Data Source:

All data is from PennDOT through their public datasets. Data in this report is from the 2019 calendar year.