Transportation Performance Management

State Highway Safety Report (2021) - Rhode Island

The following provides a summary of the Highway Safety Improvement Program's (HSIP) safety performance measures and State safety performance targets. As per the Safety PM Final Rule, States are required to set annual safety performance targets in the HSIP annual report for the number of fatalities, rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), number of serious injuries, rate of serious injures per 100 million VMT, and number of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries. The safety performance targets are based on 5-year rolling averages. States have the flexibility to use the methodology they deem most appropriate when establishing safety performance targets. FHWA encourages States to review data sets and trends and consider factors that may affect targets. The safety performance targets should be data-driven, realistic, and attainable and should align with the performance management framework and legislative intent.

A State Department of Transportation (DOT) has met or made significant progress towards meeting its safety performance targets when at least four of the five safety performance targets established under 23 CFR 490.209(a) have been met or the actual outcome is better than the baseline performance. The baseline performance is the 5-year average ending with the year prior to the establishment of the target.

The Basis for Target and Additional Comments are provided by the State in their HSIP Annual Report and have not been edited by FHWA. Any questions about individual State reports should be directed to the respective State DOT. For additional information about each State's HSIP, the complete reports are available at https://highways.dot.gov/safety/hsip/reporting.

More information and resources on Safety Performance Management are available at https://highways.dot.gov/safety/hsip/spm/safety-performance-management-safety-pm-overview.

All State data used to populate the State Highway Safety Reports for 2021 are available for download at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpm/reporting/state/tpm_dashboard_data.zip.

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  Number of Fatalities

• Number of Fatalities	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Annual	45	51	84	59	57	67	63
  5-Year Average					59.2	63.6	66.0
  Target (5-Year Average)							69.0	67.0	63.0

• Basis for Number of Fatalities Target

  • 2021 Target
  • 2022 Target
  • 2023 Target

  As of August 2020, Rhode Island is on pace for much higher than expected number of fatalities in 2020. This increase, along with an expected increase in in VMT in 2021, resulted in RIDOT and OHS setting higher fatality target in line with the Rhode Island FFY 2020 HSP.

  Given the impact that the pandemic seems to be having on driver behavior and roadway fatalities, the 2021 fatality projection appears to put meeting the 2020 baseline out of reach. The selected target reflects that 2021 is projected to be a high year and that 2022 should begin a downward trend.

  Rhode Island has experienced decreases in fatalities in 2021 and looks to be continuing this decrease in fatalities in 2022. Additionally, the RIDOT is continuing to support behavioral countermeasures and developing low-cost risk-based systemic projects that will target high-risk locations.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2015-2020 Final FARS, 2021 FARS Annual Report File
  Targets: 2020-2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Fatality Rate (per 100 million VMT)

• Fatality Rate (per 100 million VMT)	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Annual	0.57	0.64	1.05	0.74	0.75	0.98	0.84
  5-Year Average					0.750	0.832	0.872
  Target (5-Year Average)							0.890	0.880	0.830

• Basis for Fatality Rate Target

  • 2021 Target
  • 2022 Target
  • 2023 Target

  Given the effects of COVID-19 on VMTs and the lack of similar reduction in fatalities, Rhode Island expects a higher fatality rate for 2020. With VMT also expected to increase slightly in 2021, Rhode Island increased their fatality rate target. RIDOT and OHS worked together to align targets with those within the Rhode Island FFY 2020 HSP.

  This rate is calculated based on the 2022 VMT projection and above fatality target.

  Rhode Island has experienced decreases in fatalities in 2020 and 2021 and looks to be continuing this decrease in fatalities in 2022. RIDOT anticipates the planned safety activities will help counteract potential increases in fatalities which may be correlated with the projected increase in 2022 and 2023 vehicle-miles traveled.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2015-2020 Final FARS, 2021 FARS Annual Report File
  VMT: 2015-2021 FHWA Highway Statistics Series, VM-2 Table
  Targets: 2020-2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Number of Serious Injuries

• Number of Serious Injuries	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Annual	427	407	322	313	308	272	314
  5-Year Average					355.4	324.4	305.8
  Target (5-Year Average)							309.0	292.0	301.0

• Basis for Number of Serious Injuries Target

  • 2021 Target
  • 2022 Target
  • 2023 Target

  Trends show serious injuries decreasing annually on a consistent basis. RIDOT expects this trend to continue. This approach is consistent with the historic method. RIDOT and OHS worked together to align targets with those within the Rhode Island FFY 2020 HSP.

  Despite the unusual shifts in fatality trends observed during the pandemic, serious injuries continue to trend downward, an indication that behavioral and engineering countermeasures are reducing the severity of crashes. The current serious injury projection for 2021 is notably lower than historic values.

  2021 was the first year in a long time Rhode Island experienced an increase in suspected serious injuries. However, early data for 2022 indicate this increase may be an aberration and Rhode Island will continue to decrease serious injuries through proposed education and enforcement campaigns as well as infrastructure projects.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Serious Injuries: 2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Report
  Targets: 2020-2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Rate of Serious Injuries (per 100 million VMT)

• Rate of Serious Injuries (per 100 million VMT)	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Annual	5.45	5.13	4.02	3.91	4.06	3.96	4.17
  5-Year Average					4.514	4.216	4.024
  Target (5-Year Average)							3.970	3.785	3.944

• Basis for Serious Injury Rate Target

  • 2021 Target
  • 2022 Target
  • 2023 Target

  Trends show serious injury rates decreasing annually on a consistent basis. RIDOT expects this trend to continue. This approach is consistent with the historic method.

  This rate is calculated based on the 2022 VMT projection and above serious injury rate.

  The projected decrease in serious injuries and increase in vehicle-miles traveled will result in a reduction in the serious injury rate in Rhode Island.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Serious Injuries: 2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Report
  VMT: 2015-2021 FHWA Highway Statistics Series, VM-2 Table
  Targets: 2020-2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Reports

• 

  Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries

• Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
  Annual	88	73	97	61	71	89	71
  5-Year Average					78.0	78.2	77.8
  Target (5-Year Average)							79.0	75.0	72.0

• Basis for Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries Target

  • 2021 Target
  • 2022 Target
  • 2023 Target

  Rhode Island is experiencing a spike in non-motorist fatalities and serious injuries in 2020. As such, Rhode Island set a conservatively high target for 2021 with an increase in non-motorist fatalities and serious injuries compared to 2018 and 2019.

  The current non-motorized fatality and serious injury projection for 2021 is notably lower than historic values. The proposed target shows progress against the baseline while recognizing that historically, nonmotorized user exposure and incidents are highest during warm weather months yet to come.

  Rhode Island has experienced notable fluctuations in non-motorist fatalities and serious injuries. However, recent years have pointed towards small, steady reductions in these injuries.

  
  

• Data Sources:
  Fatalities: 2015-2020 Final FARS, 2021 FARS Annual Report File
  Serious Injuries: 2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Report
  Targets: 2020-2022 Rhode Island HSIP Annual Reports

Additional Comments

2023 Comments:

Attached is the FFY 2023 Safety Performance Measure Target Setting Memo.

Safety Performance Target Assessment

PLEASE NOTE: Each State’s safety performance target assessment is based on its own State-specific target methodology and program philosophy. Therefore, conclusions should not be drawn based only on the information in the Safety Performance Target Assessment Summary table. For example, the State may have set aggressive targets, and not met those targets, while another State may have set more easily attainable targets, and met those targets. FHWA understands that each State’s safety program is unique and therefore does not prescribe a methodology for States to set targets. States have the flexibility to use the methodology they deem most appropriate when setting their safety performance targets.