Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Rhode Island in 2020

Deaths, 2020: 67
Fatal crashes: 66
Population: 1.1M

In 2020, 67 people died in 66 fatal crashes in Rhode Island. The death rate was 6.1 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.8 in the United States. Rhode Island had the 48th most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 47th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 25% of deaths, and 50% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

6.1

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020

About half the rate in the United States: 11.8

Rhode Island traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

25%

of deaths were pedestrians

About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 17%

Who died in 2020

Category	Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others	35
Pedestrians	17
Motorcyclists	13
Cyclists	2

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Deaths by type, 2020
Type	Deaths	Share in Rhode Island	Share in the US
Pedestrians	17	25%	17%
Motorcyclists	13	19%	14%
Cyclists	2	3%	2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes	28	42%	30%
Speeding-related crashes	34	51%	29%

Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.

Crash factors

Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes

50%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

About 1.7 times the share in the United States: 29%

38%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

About 1.4 times the share in the United States: 27%

Crash factors in 2020

Category	Rhode Island	United States
Speeding-related	37.9%	26.7%
Alcohol-involved	50.0%	28.6%
At night	51.5%	53.4%
At weekends	40.9%	32.9%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

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Timing

When crashes happen

52%

of fatal crashes happened at night

About the same as the share in the United States: 53%

41%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 33%

Fatal crashes by hour of day

Category	Fatal crashes
12am	4
1am	4
2am	3
3am	2
4am	2
5am	2
6am	1
7am	1
8am	2
9am	3
10am	3
11am	2
12pm	4
1pm	3
2pm	3
3pm	2
4pm	5
5pm	3
6pm	0
7pm	4
8pm	3
9pm	6
10pm	1
11pm	3

All crashes 2020.

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Fatal crashes by day of week

Category	Fatal crashes
Sun	19
Mon	7
Tue	6
Wed	8
Thu	8
Fri	10
Sat	8

All crashes 2020.

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Fatal crashes by month

Category	Fatal crashes
Jan	4
Feb	2
Mar	5
Apr	3
May	9
Jun	8
Jul	4
Aug	6
Sep	10
Oct	6
Nov	7
Dec	2

All crashes 2020.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash

Category	Fatal crashes
Clear	57
Cloudy	4
Rain	3
Fog, Smog, Smoke	2

All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Light conditions at the time of the crash

Category	Fatal crashes
Daylight	34
Dark - Lighted	23
Dark - Not Lighted	8
Dusk	1

All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2020

Roads with the most fatal crashes

I-956
I-95 S3
I-95 N3
US-44 PUTNAM PIKE3
SR-122 LONSDALE AVE2
US-1 POST RD2
MIDDLEBRIDGE RD2
SR-1A NEWPORT AVE1
COTTAGE ST1
BRENTON RD1

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type

Category	Vehicles
Cars	51
SUVs	13
Motorcycles	13
Medium and heavy trucks	7
Pickup trucks	4
Other vehicles	3
Vans	2

All crashes 2020.

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Vehicles most often involved

Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.

Crashes

Fatal crashes

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Fatal crashes in 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes

Who died Time of day Day Weather Lighting Vehicle type involved Make involved

Alcohol-involved Speeding-related Distracted driver

Date	Location	Road	Deaths
Dec 12, 2020	Newport, Newport County	BRENTON RD	1
Dec 8, 2020	East Providence, Providence County	SR-103 PAWTUCKET AVE	1
Nov 19, 2020	Smithfield, Providence County	GREENVILLE AVE	1
Nov 14, 2020	Cranston, Providence County	SR-12 SCITUATE AVE	1
Nov 8, 2020	Warwick, Kent County	NARRAGANSETT PKWY	1
Nov 3, 2020	Providence, Providence County	I-95 S	1
Nov 1, 2020	Richmond, Washington County	I-95 N	1
Nov 1, 2020	Pawtucket, Providence County	I-95 N	1
Nov 1, 2020	Providence, Providence County	I-95 N	1
Oct 25, 2020	Warwick, Kent County	US-1 POST RD	1
Oct 19, 2020	Warwick, Kent County	I-95 S	1
Oct 18, 2020	Lafayette, Washington County	SR-4	1
Oct 14, 2020	Warwick, Kent County	SR-117 W SHORE RD	1
Oct 14, 2020	Smithfield, Providence County	DEAN AVE	1
Oct 8, 2020	Providence, Providence County	SR-1A ALLENS AVE	1
Sep 25, 2020	Cranston, Providence County	CRANSTON ST	1
Sep 21, 2020	South Kingstown, Washington County	MIDDLEBRIDGE RD	1
Sep 21, 2020	South Kingstown, Washington County	SR-138 USQUEPAUGH RD	1
Sep 19, 2020	Pawtucket, Providence County	I-95 S	1
Sep 13, 2020	Charlestown, Washington County	OLD POST RD	1
Sep 11, 2020	Pawtucket, Providence County	SR-122 LONSDALE AVE	1
Sep 8, 2020	Glocester, Providence County	US-44 PUTNAM PIKE	1
Sep 7, 2020	Providence, Providence County	SR-1A	1
Sep 6, 2020	Narragansett Pier, Washington County	KINGSTON RD	1
Sep 4, 2020	Westerly, Washington County	SR-1A BEACH ST	1

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Explore

Nearby and related

Counties in Rhode Island in 2020

Area	Deaths, 2020	Per 100,000
Bristol County	0	—
Kent County	10	5.9
Newport County	4	4.7
Providence County	38	5.8
Washington County	15	11.6

Rankings

Nearby states

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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.