Reducing fatalities and serious injuries on D.C. area roads

A total of 392 people in the metropolitan Washington region were killed in roadway crashes in 2023. These fatalities reflect a nationwide trend: The post-pandemic years have seen higher crash fatality rates than in the decade prior.

Challenge

Determining the root causes of these crashes requires an examination into both local conditions and involved factors, and addressing these issues must involve coordination across 22 jurisdictions.

To meet this challenge, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) needed to answer three critical questions:

• Why are fatal and serious injuries occurring?
• How can efforts be effectively coordinated across jurisdictions?
• What safety strategies are already in place, and how can they be supported?

Solution

Our team used a mixed-methods approach to data collection and collaboration:

Regional Roadway Safety Study: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of crash data from 2019–2023, combined with a literature review and jurisdictional survey, to identify key factors involved in fatal and serious injury crashes. The study extracted quantitative and qualitative insights, including common crash types, roadway conditions, and behavioral trends.

Regional Roadway Safety Summit: We also convened representatives from regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB) jurisdictions to discuss preliminary findings from the Safety Study, exchange knowledge on common practices, and explore opportunities for joint action.

Results

The study identified six major factors driving regional crashes—pedestrians, bicyclists, intersections, speeding, impaired driving, and principal arterials—and analyzed their impact on fatalities and serious injuries, along with geographic, temporal, and exposure trends. The summit also brought together stakeholders from 11 jurisdictions, fostering collaboration and generating shared recommendations to advance roadway safety across the region.

Regional coordination enables jurisdiction to share data and common practices, align priorities, and implement strategies that address region-wide needs. This approach supports progress toward reducing fatalities and serious injuries across metropolitan Washington’s roadways.