Rhode Island

Rhode Island, which is located in the New England region of the United States, is bordered on the north and east by Massachusetts, on the west by Connecticut, and on the south by Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long, Rhode Island, population 1,053,209 (2009 U.S. Census), is the smallest U.S. state by area.

Providence is the capital and the most populous city in Rhode Island. Providence is also the county seat for Providence County. Providence is known as the region’s center for the arts, education, and healthcare, boasting eight hospitals and seven institutions of higher learning. A downtown renaissance begun in the late 1980s uncovered the Woonasquatucket and Providence rivers, both of which flow through Providence. The rivers are now bordered by the scenic WaterPlace Park and Riverwalk.

Rhode Island’s largest city after Providence is Warwick, which is located on the west shore of Narragansett Bay in east central Rhode Island. Warwick houses Rhode Island’s main airport, the T.F. Green International Airport. The most populous regions of Rhode Island are found in the Providence area, stretching northwest following the Blackstone River to Woonsocket, where mills drove industry and development in the 1800s. Woonsocket, directly south of the Massachusetts border, is Rhode Island’s sixth largest city.

Interstate 95 runs diagonally across the state connecting major population centers, while Interstate 295 provides a bypass around Providence. The stretch of Interstate 95 running through Rhode Island is one of the deadliest highways in America (reported by the Daily Beast utilizing data from the National Highway Safety Administration). The sharp S-curves through Pawtucket were considered especially accident prone and dangerous, as was the section of I-95 on the south end of Providence. I-95 runs from north to south through Providence while Interstate 195 connects the city to eastern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.

The Port of Providence, the second largest deepwater seaport in New England, handles a range of cargo including cement, chemicals, heavy machinery, petroleum, and scrap metal. An excellent transportation network makes Providence a major industrial center. The port is adjacent to Interstate 95. Tankers, dump trucks, tri-axle trucks, and flat bed trucks move freight throughout the port area.

In Rhode Island, the primary route for moving freight by truck begins on I-95 near Hope Valley and traverses eastward, intersecting or merging onto I-295, continuing northeast via I-95. Highway freight bottlenecks occur with high frequency at I-95 and I-195, and at I-95 and State Route 4.

Highway congestion at interchanges increases the risk of traffic accidents. When traffic congestion is on a major freight route for tractor-trailers, the risk of car and heavy truck collisions increases. Accidents involving collisions between heavy trucks and passenger cars or SUVs are typically more catastrophic than accidents involving a collision between two cars. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported 65 fatalities in Rhode Island as a result of traffic accidents in 2009. Large trucks were involved in 2, or 2.5%, of these fatal accidents.

According to 2000 statistics, there were 2,800 trucks registered with the DMV in Rhode Island. The state boasts 6,052 miles of public roads and has 70 miles of interstate. In Rhode Island, 198 truck accidents were recorded with only 2 being recorded as crashes that resulted in fatalities. Of these accidents, 100 resulted in injury, and 96 required that one or more vehicles involved be towed from the accident.

In both fatal and non-fatal accidents, there were no reported heavy trucks less than 10,000 lbs in gross vehicle weight rating that were involved. Accidents were split 50/50 in fatal truck accidents, and there was a reported 71% percent involvement of truck accidents from trucks that weighed over 26,000 lbs. Driver-related factors in these crashes included driving too fast (31%), failure to keep in proper lane (20%), and ice, snow, or water on the road (8.6%). No adverse weather conditions were reported in 85% of non-fatal crashes, followed by rain (9.2%) and snow (4.6%). Of the two fatal crashes that occurred, one reported no adverse weather conditions, while the other had sleet/hail as a contributing weather condition of the accident.