ROAD SAFETY ANAYLSIS

Delaware Road Safety Analysis

Behavioral Insights Powered by StreetVision

The following road safety report evaluates road risk events in Delaware from January 2026 through March 2026. It examines phone distraction rates, intersection-level hard braking activity, and corridor-level speeding patterns to determine where risk is most concentrated.

The report leverages insights from CMT’s StreetVision, an AI-powered behavioral analytics platform that provides decision-ready insights into roadway risk before crashes occur. Transportation officials use StreetVision to identify hotspots, prioritize high-impact safety interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures.

Here is a snapshot of our findings — covering distraction benchmarking, county-level concentration analysis, high-risk intersection identification, and corridor speeding patterns.

01 PHONE DISTRACTION

Monthly distraction rates: A comparison to the national benchmark

In January 2026, drivers in Delaware recorded 22.78 phone tapping events per 100 miles, compared to the national average of 23.55, placing the state 3.3% below the US benchmark.

In February, the rate was 23.44, a 2.9% increase from the prior month, and 2.6% below the national average.

By March, phone tapping events decreased to 22.84 events per 100 miles, marking a 2.6% decrease from February. It was 3.9% below the US average.

phone tapping events per 100 miles

January 2025

22.78

National avg: 23.55

Feburary 2026

23.44

2.9% from January

March 2026

22.84

-2.6% from February

02 COUNTY ANALYSIS

County-level insights reveal concentrated rates of distracted driving

Across the three-month period, Delaware averaged 23.02 phone tapping events per 100 miles, though county-level data shows variation around that benchmark.

Counties Kent, New Castle, and Sussex, recorded distraction rates ranging from roughly 22 – 23 phone tapping events per 100 miles.

phone tapping events per 100 miles

County Rankings

1 Kent County 23.6 +2.5%
2 New Castle County 23.1 +0.3%
3 Sussex County 22.4 −2.7%

03 HARD BRAKING

High risk intersections: Where hard braking signals elevated crash risk

Intersections account for roughly 25% of all US traffic deaths and 50% of all traffic injuries. Hard braking often signals near-miss events, making it a leading indicator of elevated crash risk.

An analysis of New Castle County intersections found Hopkins Road & Thompson Station Road & Pleasant Hill Road to be a high-risk hotspot, with 376.6 hard braking events per 100 miles driven.

highest risk

Hopkins Road & Thompson Station Road & Pleasant Hill Road

376.6

hard braking events / 100 mi

other high risk intersections in Delaware

Hard Braking Events per 100 miles

2

Chambers Rock Road & Thompson Station Road

354.4

3

Old Kennett Road & Pyles Ford Road

329.7

4

Smithbridge Road & Brandywine Creek Road

285.4

Locations with persistently high hard braking activity are widely recognized as candidates for proactive intervention — where targeted engineering improvements, enforcement visibility, or behavioral countermeasures may reduce crash risk before crashes occur.

04 SPEEDING PATTERNS

When & Where Speeding Risk Peaks

Speeding behavior in Idaho follows identifiable time-of-day and corridor-level patterns, creating predictable windows of elevated risk.

On Philadelphia Pike in New Castle, DE (35 mph), speeding peaks on Mondays at 12:00 a.m., when 80.2% of driving time exceeds 10 mph over the limit. Additional elevated speeding periods include Fridays at 12:00 a.m. and Tuesdays at 11:00 p.m.

These patterns provide actionable intelligence for speed studies, high-visibility enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and resource allocation decisions.

CORRIDOR ANALYSIS

Dalton Ave

Posted speed limit: 50 mph

Mondays: 12:00 a.m.

80.2%

of driving time exceeds the posted speed limit

Fridays: 12:00 a.m.

64.2%

of driving time exceeds the posted speed limit

These patterns provide actionable intelligence for speed studies, high-visibility enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and resource allocation decisions.

05 SCHOOL ZONES

How fast are drivers going in school zones?

We analyzed speed distribution in the school zone at New Castle Elementary School on Delaware St in New Castle, DE. Our analysis found that 25% of drivers exceed the 35 mph speed limit during school hours. Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m. had the highest rate of speeding, with 55.8% of drivers going over the limit.

Understanding how frequently speeding occurs during school hours helps traffic engineers determine whether stronger safety measures are needed to better protect vulnerable road users.

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