Rhode Island Legislators Pass Bill To Make Crash Data Public

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island legislators passed a bill to make traffic crash data public.

The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Rebecca Kislak, D-Providence, and state Sen. Meghan E. Kallman, D-Pawtucket and Providence.

The intent of the proposed law is to enable the public to access and analyze data and advocate for safety improvements in places where accidents are more frequent or serious.

“Information about the safety of our public streets is public information," Kallman said in a media release.

"Police reports about individual collisions are public records, so of course an existing collection that aggregates them should also be public, especially because it’s such a valuable tool for analyzing where dangers lie,” Kallman said.

“Transparency about where crashes happen is in the best interest of the public and public safety," Kislak said in the release.

"We should all know what is happening on our streets," Kislak said.

"If anyone would like to help identify the places where people are getting hurt, their efforts should be welcomed and met with assistance," she said. "The public is much better served when people have the information they need to identify dangers and advocate for change.”

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