Abstract

In January 2018, the Virginia Department of Transportation began tolling an 8-mile stretch of Interstate 64 (I-64) to manage traffic during peak hours. Tolls were charged westbound in the morning and eastbound in the evening. This study uses crash data from 2016 to 2019 and a Difference-in-Differences approach to examine how this tolling policy affected road safety. The analysis compares crash trends in tolled and untolled directions before and after the policy. The findings show no significant change in crash frequency during tolled westbound mornings, but a significant increase in crashes during tolled eastbound evenings. Many of these evening crashes occurred near ramps, suggesting that driver behavior around tolled areas may contribute to safety risks