By: Keith Nichols, Principal Transportation Engineer
In 2022, there were a total of 24,712 crashes in Hampton Roads. These crashes resulted in tens of millions of dollars of damage, over 15,000 injuries, and 162 lives lost. But what caused these crashes? Was it a specific location or something like distracted driving? The HRTPO regularly prepares the Regional Safety Study in an attempt to gain a better understanding of these factors and how they impact the safety of our roads.
The HRTPO has recently released the draft version of the Hampton Roads Regional Safety Study. This report is an update to the previous Hampton Roads Regional Safety Studies prepared by the HRTPO in 2004 and 2014. The updated Hampton Roads Regional Safety Study focused on several key component areas, including:
- Regional Safety Trends – Trends in traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities in Hampton Roads are highlighted. Crash data for each Hampton Roads jurisdiction is included, and comparisons with other metropolitan areas in Virginia are also examined.
- Crash Characteristics – Characteristics of crashes, injuries and fatalities in Hampton Roads are examined. Examples from this section include crash types, driver actions resulting in crashes, alcohol usage, speeding, and distracted driving.
- Crash Locations – The locations of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on the Hampton Roads roadway system are analyzed. The number of crashes for each mile of freeway and over 1,000 intersections is shown, as is the rate based on the severity of crashes and the exposure to crashes.
- Equity Analysis – Equity is the fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. In recent years, planning with an equity lens has been put to the forefront, and one of the essential activities under federal safety grant programs is the inclusion of equity considerations.
- High Crash Locations – Based on the crash locations analysis, a number of locations throughout Hampton Roads are identified for further study. This section provides a detailed safety analysis for intersections in each Hampton Roads locality.
- Safety Survey – As part of the study, a public survey was conducted regarding regional roadway safety that included nearly 1,500 responses. This section highlights the findings from that public survey.
The draft Hampton Roads Regional Safety Study (available here) is open for public review and comment until April 19, 2024. All interested parties are encouraged to review the draft report and send comments to Mr. Keith Nichols at knichols@hrtpo.org or by mail to 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320.