ROAD SAFETY ANALYSIS
Washington D.C. Road Safety Analysis
Behavioral Insights Powered by StreetVision
The following road safety report evaluates road risk events in Washington D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. recorded 48.66 phone tapping events per 100 miles, compared to the national average of 23.55, placing the District 106.6% above the US benchmark.
In February, the rate was 51.44, a 5.7% increase from the prior month, and 113.8% above the national average.
By March, phone tapping events decreased to 50.96 events per 100 miles, marking a 0.9% decrease from February. It was 114.4% above the US average.
phone tapping events per 100 miles
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 Washington, D.C. intersections found Taylor Street Northeast & 2nd Street Northeast to be a high-risk hotspot, with 87.3 hard braking events per 100 miles driven.
highest risk
Taylor Street Northeast & 2nd Street Northeast
87.3
hard braking events / 100 mi
other high risk intersections in Washington D.C.
Hard Braking Events per 100 miles
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 Washington, D.C. follows identifiable time-of-day and corridor-level patterns, creating predictable windows of elevated risk.
On Whitney Young Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. (40 mph), speeding peaks on Tuesdays at 5:00 a.m., when 52.8% of driving time exceeds 10 mph over the limit. Additional elevated speeding periods include Wednesdays at 5:00 a.m. and Sundays at 5:00 a.m.
These patterns provide actionable intelligence for speed studies, high-visibility enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and resource allocation decisions.
CORRIDOR ANALYSIS
Whitney Young Memorial Bridge
Posted speed limit: 40 mph
Tuesday: 5:00 a.m.
52.8%
of driving time exceeds the posted speed limit
Wednesdays: 5:00 a.m.
50.6%
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 Maury Elementary School on Constitution Ave NE in Washington, D.C. Our analysis found that 26% of drivers exceed the 15 mph speed limit during school hours. Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m. had the highest rate of speeding, with 5.3% 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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