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Rhode Island Avenue NE is one of Northeast Washington’s major east-west corridors, connecting neighborhoods including Brookland, Brentwood, and Woodridge while carrying heavy vehicle traffic through a series of busy intersections. These conditions contribute to the high volume of Rhode Island Avenue NE crashes, particularly where drivers cross multiple lanes, make left turns, or drive through intersections where vehicle paths converge.
DDOT’s 2009–2011 Traffic Safety Statistics Report identified the Rhode Island Avenue corridor among Washington, DC’s top 10 high-frequency crash corridors, and more recent reports also highlight numerous crashes in this area.
Right-angle collisions are commonly described as T-bone crashes because the vehicles collide at roughly a 90-degree angle. They can cause serious injuries because the side of a passenger vehicle generally provides less protection than the front or rear. Left-turn crashes can also be severe when a turning vehicle crosses directly into the path of oncoming traffic. 
DDOT data show that both crash types have been part of Rhode Island Avenue’s safety history for years. Between 2010 and 2012, DDOT recorded 24 Rhode Island Avenue NE crashes in the 1700 block. Four were right-angle crashes, three were left-turn crashes, and nine were injury collisions.
More recent DDOT data show that these collision types have continued at other Rhode Island Avenue intersections. From 2018 to 2020, DDOT recorded 48 crashes at Rhode Island Avenue and New Jersey Avenue NW, including five right-angle crashes and six left-turn crashes.
Left turns create several potential points of conflict because a turning driver must cross the path of oncoming vehicles while also watching for pedestrians, cyclists, and other traffic entering the intersection.
Those conflicts have led to recent safety changes along Rhode Island Avenue. At Rhode Island Avenue and Lincoln Road NE, July 2022 traffic counts showed 340 eastbound left-turning vehicles during the PM peak hour. DDOT proposed a dedicated left-turn pocket and a protected/permissive signal phase at the intersection. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5E (ANC 5E) noted that the turn pocket could reduce weaving, sideswipe, and rear-end crashes, as well as conflicts between vehicles and cyclists.
Further west, left-turn movements have also been part of recent safety discussions at Rhode Island Avenue and North Capitol Street. In 2023, DDOT proposed a full-time ban on the eastbound left turn from Rhode Island Avenue onto northbound North Capitol Street to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety. ANC 5E opposed the total ban and proposed alternatives, including a separate left-turn signal and a dedicated left-turn lane.
Rhode Island Avenue NE crashes have also involved pedestrians. In September 2025, a pedestrian was struck at Montana Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue NE by a truck towing a cargo trailer. Police said the truck was traveling north on Montana Avenue and turning left onto Rhode Island Avenue when it struck the pedestrian, who later died from his injuries.
In February 2023, a pedestrian was killed after being struck by a westbound vehicle in the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the pedestrian was crossing through a construction zone and between moving traffic when he entered the westbound lane.
In March 2018, a motorist was killed when his Honda was T-boned by a DC fire engine at 12th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE. Another vehicle involved in the crash then struck a pregnant pedestrian on the sidewalk, critically injuring her.
Pedestrian conditions along Rhode Island Avenue NE continue to receive attention. In 2025, the DC Office of Planning released a study covering the 1.5-mile stretch between 13th Street NE and Eastern Avenue, which recommended establishing a more comfortable pedestrian environment as one of the corridor’s priorities. 
DDOT’s vehicular crash dataset is derived from Metropolitan Police Department crash records and includes information such as crash location, injury severity, modes involved, speeding, and the nearest intersection. This allows crash patterns to be examined at specific intersections and locations along Rhode Island Avenue.
For someone involved in a crash on Rhode Island Avenue NE, the exact location can be important. A crash at an intersection may involve different right-of-way issues, traffic signals, and turning movements than a collision occurring mid-block. Evidence such as the police crash report, traffic-camera footage, vehicle damage, witness accounts, and intersection signal information may help establish what happened.
If you or a loved one was injured in a T-bone, left-turn, or another Rhode Island Avenue NE crash, Regan Zambri Long can review what happened and help you understand your options. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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