RI Highway Crashes Plummet Amid Coronavirus Outbreak: Police

PROVIDENCE, RI — With so many Rhode Islanders working from home and avoiding unnecessary trips, the state's highways have been considerably less crowded over the past week, especially during rush hours. This decrease in drivers has also led to a drop in crashes reported on the state's highways, Rhode Island State Police said.

Major Christopher Dicomitis, a spokesperson for the department, said that there hasn't been a "significant" number of crashes throughout the month.

"It appears that Rhode Islanders are following the governor's orders and staying in their houses," he said.

Data from the department shows a dramatic decrease in the number of crashes this month compared to last year. In March 2020, there were 346 crashes reported, compared to 510 in 2019, a 32 percent drop.

The data showed that there were approximately the same number of crashes in January and February compared to last year. Rhode Island's first case of the coronavirus was announced at the beginning of the month, and Gov. Gina Raimondo called for Rhode Islanders to work from home and begin social distancing around March 10. On Saturday, the governor officially issued a stay-at-home order, calling for the closure of all non-essential businesses and asking all residents to only go out for essential errands.