Data Resources
Data Resources
Increasing Transparency
CDOT makes information about traffic safety available to the public, including monthly fatal traffic crash analyses and links to commonly referenced datasets. In 2024, CDOT published the Chicago Traffic Crashes Annual Report. The report includes analyses of 2023 traffic crash data, details on how data informs CDOT's traffic safety investment strategy, and key outcomes of infrastructure programs.
Fatal Monthly Crash Summaries
Each month CDOT creates a summary of traffic deaths that occurred in the previous month. Summaries include:
- A break-out of the fatalities by travel mode
- A citywide map of that month’s fatal crash locations
- Year-to-date totals and comparisons with prior months and years
- Year-over-year comparison charts for crashes
Chicago Data Portal
The datasets that CDOT uses to analyze crashes and locations are publicly available on the City of Chicago’s Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal lets residents find facts about the City and access datasets that can be downloaded for independent analysis. A number of traffic safety datasets are posted on the data portal.
The City offers a tutorial video for first time users of the Portal.
Primary Datasets
Provisional information about each traffic crash as reported by the Chicago Police Department. The dataset is available from 2017 through present. Updates to the dataset are made daily.
The traffic fatality dataset is a provisional list of traffic fatalities that have occurred within the City of Chicago. The list is subject to change based on the results of police investigations and reconciliation with the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) processes traffic crash information from across the state and publishes a variety of reports and snapshots. Annual data sets are available upon request.
A Note to Analysts & Researchers
Reporting on fatalities is a complex process and the datasets available on the Chicago Data Portal are provisional and subject to change over time. With respect for the lives lost, not all victims succumb to their injuries immediately following a crash. This means that individual crash records may be re-coded from injury to fatal in the weeks or even months following their initial entry.
Analysts should carefully read all of the information presented with the dataset on portal before proceeding.