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Rhode Island Ranks Near Top For Drowsy Drivers Causing Fatal Crashes: Study

The analysis examined drowsy-driving-coded fatal crash data from the Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Rhode Island ranked among the top states in the nation for the percentage of drowsy drivers causing fatal crashes, according to a recent study.

The analysis by Pennsylvania law firm Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers "examined drowsy-driving-coded fatal crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2020 through 2024, alongside drowsy-driving prevalence research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association’s (GHSA) chart of state drowsy-driving laws," according to a media release.

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While the Ocean State averages just two drowsy driver fatal crashes annually, that made up 2.47% of all fatal wrecks, the study revealed, putting it at 10th highest in the country.

The state with the highest rate of drowsy driver fatal crashes was Wyoming at 9.24%, followed by Alaska at 4.73% and Colorado at 4.36%.

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