STATE FATALITY DATA - 2023

Rhode Island: lower-rate fatality band

Rhode Island is in the lower per-capita third: 71 traffic deaths in 2023 at 6.5 per 100,000 (#49 of 51).

71
Deaths (2023)
6.5
Per 100k residents
Below average
0.9
Per 100M VMT
+19
2022–2023 deaths

Smaller fatality book

Rhode Island ranks #50 of 51 by total FARS fatalities (549 across 2015-2023) - bottom-third book size.

Rhode Island in the lower-rate third

According to NHTSA FARS, Rhode Island sits in the lower-rate third at 6.5 per 100k (#49 of 51), 47% below the U.S. 12.2 benchmark, with nighttime the largest contributing factor.

#49 of 51
lower-rate third
6.5/100k
2023 fatality rate
#50/51
by total FARS fatalities
Nighttime
leading contributing factor

71 2023 Fatalities, By Roadway Setting

  • Urban 60 (84.5%)
  • Rural 10 (14.1%)
  • Trafficway Not in State Inventory 1 (1.4%)

FARS milepost strip

Milepost RI · Rhode Island #49 of 51 · 6.5/100k

Rhode Island · 6.5/100k · 71 in 2023 · #49 of 51

  • VMT 6.5/100k
  • BOOK #49 of 51
  • ALC 0.9/100M
  • SPD 549 book
  • PED near District of Columbia
  • RUR 19.9% spd
  • VS-US 18.2% ped
  • PHOTO -46.8% vs US

Stamps derive from this state's NHTSA FARS row (per-100k rate, corpus rank, VMT rate, fatality book, nearest-rate peer, alcohol/speeding/pedestrian shares, vs-national gap), not a trip-risk forecast. PlainRoadSafety is informational only. See our disclaimer. Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Read with methodology → · Understanding road fatality data → · States ranked →

C
Road Safety Index
55/100
Rhode Island

Benchmarked against all 51 states (50 states + DC) on fatality rate, exposure-adjusted rate, pedestrian and impaired-driving fatality share, and safety trend from NHTSA FARS, US Census Bureau, and FHWA sources, not enforcement, infrastructure spend, or road-condition ratings.

Fatality Rate A+
6.5/100k
Fatalities per 100,000 residents (NHTSA FARS + Census PEP population)
Exposure-Adjusted Rate A
0.94/100M VMT
Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (NHTSA FARS + FHWA Highway Statistics)
Pedestrian Safety F
18.2%
Share of fatalities that were pedestrians (NHTSA FARS)
Impaired-Driving Control F
32.2%
Share of fatalities that were alcohol-impaired (NHTSA FARS)
Safety Trend F
+57.8%
Change in fatalities over the reporting period; negative is declining (NHTSA FARS)

Pedestrian-led roadside pattern in Rhode Island

After vehicle-to-vehicle crashes, Rhode Island's 2023 FARS first-harm leader is Pedestrian at 15.5%, a pedestrian-forward pattern relative to fixed-object states. Counts come from the NHTSA FARS accident microdata for 2023 (first harmful event, weather, light, route, and rural/urban setting), not from the seeded state rollup alone.

First harmful event

  • Motor Vehicle In-Transport 29.6% · 21
  • Pedestrian 15.5% · 11
  • Tree (Standing Only) 14.1% · 10
  • Building 4.2% · 3
  • Embankment 4.2% · 3

Light condition

  • Daylight 45.1% · 32
  • Dark - Lighted 40.8% · 29
  • Dark - Not Lighted 9.9% · 7
  • Dawn 2.8% · 2
  • Dusk 1.4% · 1

Roadway class

  • State Highway 43.7% · 31
  • Not Signed 36.6% · 26
  • U.S. Highway 9.9% · 7
  • Interstate 8.5% · 6
  • Trafficway Not in State Inventory 1.4% · 1

Weather at crash

  • Clear 87.3% · 62
  • Cloudy 5.6% · 4
  • Rain 5.6% · 4
  • Fog, Smog, Smoke 1.4% · 1

Rhode Island rate neighbourhood

Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest-rate peer states (NHTSA FARS).

per 100k

What this shows Rhode Island sits among the five nearest fatality-rate peers on the per-100k scale.

Source NHTSA FARS As of 2023

Leading Causes of Fatalities

Contributing factors in Rhode Island road deaths (2015-2023). Categories overlap.

% of fatalities

What this shows Nighttime is the top contributing cause in Rhode Island, involved in 52.3% of all road deaths. Note: categories overlap as a single crash may involve multiple factors.

Source NHTSA FARS As of 2023

Rhode Island vs all states by fatality rate

Where this state's deaths-per-100k sits among every state and D.C. on PlainRoadSafety

7 Among the safer states a lower per-capita rate than 88% of 51 states

States and D.C., banded by fatality rate per 100,000 residents

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NHTSA FARS over Census population · 2026-09-03

Rhode Island plotted against a representative sample of 27 of 51 states and D.C. by deaths per 100,000 residents (x) and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (y). Dashed lines mark the national median across all 51, computed from the full corpus. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 27 entities by Deaths per 100,000 residents (X) and Deaths per 100M vehicle miles (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High both waysRiskier per mile drivenRiskier per residentSafer, both measures 051015202530 00.511.52 Deaths per 100,000 residents Deaths per 100M vehicle miles Rhode Island: per capita vs. per mile driven
Rhode Island plotted against a representative sample of 27 of 51 states and D.C. by deaths per 100,000 residents (x) and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (y). Dashed lines mark the national median across all 51, computed from the full corpus.

Rhode Island can rank differently on each axis: population density pushes the per-capita rate one way, and rural-highway commute length pushes the per-mile rate another. Hover or tap any point (including Rhode Island's own, highlighted) for its exact figures.

Fatality Trend Analysis (2015–2023)

In the lower-rate third, Rhode Island moved from 45 deaths in 2015 to 71 in 2023 (+57.8%).

Year Fatalities Rate Alcohol Speeding Pedestrian
2015 45 4.1 20 6 8
2016 51 4.7 19 7 14
2017 84 7.7 29 9 21
2018 59 5.4 23 14 7
2019 57 5.2 32 23 8
2020 67 6.1 25 12 17
2021 63 5.7 13 15 7
2022 52 4.7 8 8 7
2023 71 6.5 8 15 11

Providence leads Rhode Island's county fatality book

Providence County alone accounts for 59.8% of Rhode Island's 503 FARS fatalities over 2015-2023 (301 deaths).

#CountyTotal FatalitiesTrend
1PROVIDENCE (7)301↑ increasing
2KENT (3)87↑ increasing
3WASHINGTON (9)85↑ increasing
4NEWPORT (5)25↔ stable
5BRISTOL (1)5↔ stable

States With Similar Fatality Rates

Among lower-rate peers, District of Columbia (6.5/100k) and Hawaii (6.5/100k) bracket Rhode Island's 6.5 per 100k.

6 of 50 other states are shown here, ranked by closeness to Rhode Island's fatality rate.

District of Columbia

6.5 per 100K

44 fatalities (2023)

Hawaii

6.5 per 100K

93 fatalities (2023)

New Jersey

6.5 per 100K

606 fatalities (2023)

Minnesota

7.1 per 100K

409 fatalities (2023)

New York

5.7 per 100K

1,114 fatalities (2023)

Massachusetts

4.9 per 100K

343 fatalities (2023)

Providence County and related Rhode Island road data

Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from official public datasets for Rhode Island (#49 of 51; volume #50/51). See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainRoadSafety · vintage 2026-09-03

Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Verify with Census →