As of January 2025, Nashville, Tennessee has a population of approximately 687,150 people and experiences about 72 car crashes per day. The goal of our project is to visualize crash data in Nashville from the past few years and identify specific trends that could inform policy changes aimed at reducing car crashes and crash-related fatalities. We chose Nashville because a family member of one of our teammates was involved in a car accident there.
Our visualization allows users to filter the data by year, weather conditions, whether it was a hit-and-run, the level of illumination, and the time of each crash. Users can also click on individual data points to view detailed information about each specific crash.
This visualization explores traffic accident data in Nashville, providing an interactive way to understand where and when incidents occur. Using a "scrollytelling" format, we'll guide you through different facets of the data, from a high-level overview to a detailed look at the most severe accidents. Use the filters above at any time to explore the data on your own.
This is every reported crash across all available years. While it shows that accidents are widespread, the sheer volume of data makes it difficult to identify specific high-risk zones.
To find meaningful patterns, let's filter for only those crashes that resulted in an injury or fatality. For 2018, we can immediately see concentrations along major highways.
The pattern of severe incidents continues in 2019, reinforcing that the interstate system and major connecting roads are hotspots for dangerous collisions.
Despite potential changes in traffic volume during 2020, the geographic distribution of severe crashes remained remarkably consistent.
As we move into 2021, the data story remains unchanged. The most severe outcomes are consistently tied to areas with higher speed limits.
This year follows the established pattern. Notice the clusters around downtown and the junctions where major interstates intersect.
Analysis for 2023 continues to show similar trends. Feel free to use the filters to explore conditions like weather or lighting.
Explore the most recent data available for 2024.
Explore the most recent data available for 2025.
Using numbers and charts do not show the locations of the accidents. We miss where crashes cluster, such as school zones, poorly lit intersections, or highway exits. We miss where you lose visibility on the road. You miss fatalities spikes under weather conditions. Our interactive map allows you to explore this all at once while helping you understand spatial relationships and spread awareness on high-risk zones. Cities everywhere face the same blind spots as Nashville, the same systemic risks, and the same overlook danger zones.
Analyzing the car accidents using the map above, it is clear that there are many factors that may affect the conditions surrounding a car accident. By using a map to visualize the data, we are able to spot patterns about where and why accidents happen. The pattern here is clear. The city of Nashville relies heavily on highways for transportation, and it is this that lends itself to create the conditions that result in the most amount of injuries and fatalities. This story is unfortunately not unique. There are other major cities just like Nashville that rely on highways for transporting people. Therefore, we advocate for a change to this system. We urge city planners and policymakers to make the changes necessary to transition from car-centric transportation systems to safer public transit systems like trains and buses.