PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranks among the top two states in the nation for highway safety laws, according to the 2022 annual report by Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety.
Rhode Island and New York topped the list, with each state enforcing 13 of the organization’s 16 recommended highway safety laws, earning them a “green” rating along with six other states and Washington, D.C.
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To earn a green rating, states must enforce at least 11 of the recommended laws, including certain laws the organization identifies as key.
The three missing laws in Rhode Island are an all-rider helmet law for motorcycles, a nighttime driving restriction for teenagers and a prohibition of unrestricted licenses for drivers under 18, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
Massachusetts and Connecticut did not make the organization’s top-nine list, or bottom 11 list of states earning a “red” rating, but the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety’s full report says that both states have eight of the organization’s recommended laws, earning them a “yellow” rating alongside 31 other states.
The recommended laws include measures such as open-container laws, booster-seat requirements, primary enforcement seat belt laws and cellphone restrictions.
Roadways throughout the country have become increasingly dangerous over the past two years, according to Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety. In the first half of 2021, the number of fatalities from motor vehicle crashes increased by almost 20% – the largest jump recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The full report can be viewed on saferoads.org.
(SUBS 5TH graf to correct to Connecticut.)
