September 2026 Chicago Car Accident Report: Injury Crashes Hit a Five Year High as Rain Drove Crashes Up 5.7 Percent
September 2026 produced more injury crashes on Chicago roads than any September in five years. The city recorded 1,662 crashes that left at least one person hurt, edging past the previous high of 1,661 set in September 2024.
Total crashes climbed 5.7 percent to 9,176, reversing the decline seen one month earlier. Nearly all of that increase traces to rain. Crashes on wet roads more than tripled from a year earlier, while crashes on dry roads actually fell.
Deaths did not follow the trend. Six crashes were fatal, matching September 2025 and tying the lowest September total in the study period.
This report examines five years of September crash records from the City of Chicago, 2022 through 2026. For anyone hurt in one of these collisions, our Chicago car accident lawyers explain what the numbers mean and what victims should know.
Five Septembers of Chicago Crash Data at a Glance
Across five Septembers, Chicago police recorded 45,847 crashes. Of those, 7,805 injured at least one person, 786 caused an incapacitating injury, and 49 killed someone.
The totals hide a steady shift. Crash volume in September 2026 was nearly identical to September 2022, at 9,176 versus 9,213, yet injury crashes were 15.0 percent higher. The share of crashes that hurt someone has climbed from 15.7 percent to 18.1 percent, close to one in five.
Chicago Car Accident Volume Rebounded From a Five Year Low
September crash totals moved in a narrow band for three years. Chicago recorded 9,213 crashes in September 2022, 9,269 in 2023 (up 0.6 percent), and 9,506 in 2024 (up 2.6 percent), the five year peak.
2025 broke the pattern. Crashes fell 8.7 percent to 8,683, the lowest September in the study period. September 2026 recovered 5.7 percent to 9,176, roughly 306 crashes per day, though still 3.5 percent below the 2024 peak.
The rebound reversed the direction set one month earlier, when our August 2026 Chicago crash report found crashes falling 7.9 percent to a four year August low.
Car Accident Injury Crashes Reached a Five Year September High
Injury crashes rose faster than crashes overall. Crashes that injured at least one person totaled 1,445 in 2022, 1,464 in 2023 (up 1.3 percent), 1,661 in 2024 (up 13.5 percent), 1,573 in 2025 (down 5.3 percent), and 1,662 in 2026 (up 5.7 percent).
Measured against 2022, injury crashes are up 15.0 percent while total crashes are 0.4 percent lower. Chicago is not seeing more crashes in September. It is seeing more crashes that hurt people.
The fastest growing injury category is the hardest to see. Crashes where an injury was reported but not visible to the responding officer went from 420 in 2022 to 419 in 2023 (down 0.2 percent), 565 in 2024 (up 34.8 percent), 574 in 2025 (up 1.6 percent), and 616 in 2026 (up 7.3 percent).
That is a 46.7 percent increase in four years. These are injuries like neck pain, headaches, and dizziness that a person feels but an officer cannot observe at the scene, and they often worsen in the hours and days after a crash.
Visible injuries moved more modestly. Nonincapacitating injury crashes went from 837 to 862 (up 3.0 percent), 919 (up 6.6 percent), 857 (down 6.7 percent), and 901 (up 5.1 percent). Incapacitating injury crashes fell from 175 to 170 (down 2.9 percent), 166 (down 2.4 percent), and 136 (down 18.1 percent) before ticking up 2.2 percent to 139 in 2026.
Fatal Chicago Car Accidents Held at a Five Year Low
Six crashes were fatal in September 2026. That matches September 2025 and is less than half the 13 recorded in both 2022 and 2023. Year by year, fatal crashes went from 13 to 13 (no change), 11 (down 15.4 percent), 6 (down 45.5 percent), and 6 (no change).
Two straight Septembers at six is the clearest sign of improvement anywhere in this data, though counts this small can swing sharply from one month to the next. September also came in below August, which recorded eight fatal crashes.
Behind each of those six crashes is a family that lost someone. A lower number does not lessen that loss, and it does not change the questions those families face about who was responsible.
Rain Accounted for the Entire Increase in Crashes
Wet roads explain September's rise. Crashes on wet surfaces jumped from 291 in September 2025 to 954 in September 2026, an increase of 227.8 percent.
Total crashes rose by 493. Wet road crashes alone rose by 663. Crashes on dry roads fell 4.7 percent to 7,001, which means that without the rain, September 2026 would likely have been a calmer month than the year before.
September rain varies widely from year to year, and crash totals follow it. Wet road crashes went from 586 in 2022 to 1,233 in 2023 (up 110.4 percent), 649 in 2024 (down 47.4 percent), 291 in 2025 (down 55.2 percent), and 954 in 2026 (up 227.8 percent).
September 2023 remains the wettest month in the study period. September 2026 ranks second, with 10.4 percent of all crashes on wet surfaces compared with 3.4 percent a year earlier.
Crashes during active rainfall followed the same arc. They went from 466 in 2022 to 1,037 in 2023 (up 122.5 percent), 564 in 2024 (down 45.6 percent), 198 in 2025 (down 64.9 percent), and 803 in 2026 (up 305.6 percent). Crashes under cloudy or overcast skies reached a five year high of 259.
The cause data tells a different story than the weather data. Police cited failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash in just 338 September crashes, a five year low and down 7.7 percent. They listed the primary cause as undetermined in 3,812 crashes, up 6.8 percent, which may mask how often speed on wet pavement played a role.
The Driver Errors Behind September Car Accidents
Failing to yield the right of way remained the leading identifiable cause. It was cited in 988 crashes in 2022, 1,033 in 2023 (up 4.6 percent), 1,150 in 2024 (up 11.3 percent), 1,056 in 2025 (down 8.2 percent), and 1,076 in 2026 (up 1.9 percent).
Inexperience and improper maneuvers reached five year highs. Crashes blamed on driving skills, knowledge, or experience rose 13.3 percent to 374. Improper overtaking or passing reached 540, and improper backing jumped 17.3 percent to 298, both the highest September totals in the study period.
One cause moved the right way. Following too closely fell 5.1 percent to 778, its lowest September total in five years.
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Most September crashes happened where there was no traffic control at all. Locations with no signal, sign, or other device saw 4,996 crashes, up 7.1 percent and 54.4 percent of the month's total. Year by year, that figure went from 5,193 to 5,064 (down 2.5 percent), 5,242 (up 3.5 percent), 4,663 (down 11.0 percent), and 4,996.
Crashes at stop signs and flashers rose 8.3 percent to 903, and crashes where a driver ran a stop sign climbed 19.4 percent to 86.
Friday was the busiest day of the week once the calendar is accounted for. Because September 2026 had five Tuesdays and five Wednesdays but four of every other day, this analysis compares crashes per day rather than raw totals.
Fridays averaged 352.8 crashes per day, up 5.3 percent. Tuesdays posted the largest jump, up 29.8 percent to 312.2 per day, while Wednesdays fell 10.2 percent to 271.6, the lowest of the week. Mondays, which include the Labor Day holiday, averaged 281.0, down 5.5 percent.
Low light hours carried more of the load. Crashes in darkness on lighted roads rose 9.5 percent to 1,717, after falling in each of the three prior Septembers from 1,887 to 1,779, 1,763, and 1,568. Dawn crashes reached a five year high of 149, up 35.5 percent, and dusk crashes rose 21.7 percent to 230.
Dawn and dusk are when people on foot are hardest for drivers to see, and our Chicago pedestrian accident lawyers see the consequences of those conditions every year.
The September data points to a handful of habits that would prevent the most harm. Each one ties directly to a pattern in this year's numbers.
What Chicago Drivers Should Learn From September's Accident Repor
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicago Car Accidents
How many car accidents happened in Chicago in September 2026?
Chicago recorded 9,176 crashes in September 2026, up 5.7 percent from 8,683 in September 2025. That works out to roughly 306 crashes per day. It was the second highest September total in five years, behind the 9,506 crashes recorded in September 2024.
How many September 2026 crashes caused injuries?
A total of 1,662 crashes injured at least one person, the most of any September from 2022 through 2026. That is 18.1 percent of all crashes. Of those, 139 involved an incapacitating injury and 6 were fatal.
Did rain cause more car accidents in Chicago in September 2026?
Yes. Crashes on wet roads rose 227.8 percent, from 291 in September 2025 to 954 in September 2026. Wet road crashes increased by 663, more than the overall increase of 493, while crashes on dry roads fell 4.7 percent.
What time of day are car accidents most common in Chicago?
The 3 PM hour is consistently the most dangerous. It produced 782 crashes in September 2026, and the three hours from 3 PM to 6 PM accounted for 2,107 crashes, or 23.0 percent of the month. Late night hours from 9 PM to midnight saw some of the largest increases compared with the year before.
What should I do if I do not feel hurt after a car accident?
See a doctor anyway. In September 2026, 616 Chicago crashes involved an injury that was reported but not evident at the scene, up 46.7 percent since 2022. Symptoms of whiplash and head injuries can take hours or days to appear, and a prompt medical record helps document the connection to the crash. Our Chicago car accident attorneys can explain how delayed injuries affect a claim.
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