Rhode Island officials sound the alarm over spike in impaired driving deaths

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island has seen a disturbing increase in impaired driving fatalities so far in 2023.

Rhode Island Hospital and Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials spoke on the trend Wednesday, the first official day of summer. Officials said the rate of impaired driving soars in the summer months. This is a concerning trend due to an already higher-than-normal rate of deaths on Rhode Island roadways.

According to data from the Department of Health, about 58% of drivers in fatal crashes this year have been impaired.

The rate has jumped from 42% in 2022.

So far this year, 36 people have died in traffic accidents, compared to just 13 as of June 21, 2022.

“It’s inconceivable that we may lose 20 people on top of the 36 that we’ve already lost in the next three months,” said Gabrielle Abatte, RIDOT chief of highway safety.

Fatalities connected to drinking and driving in Rhode Island have been higher than the national average every year from 2017 to 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The data from 2021 is the most current.

“This is preventable. They made a bad decision and decisions have consequences. That’s not a message we like to deliver often but it’s reality,” added Dr. Charles Adams, the chief of the trauma department at Rhode Island Hospital.

Adams added that he has noticed a growing number of ER patients being admitted for DUI-related crashes connected to marijuana as well, a concerning trend that’s added stress to hospital capacity and staff.