Ohio Department of Public Safety
1970 W. Broad Street • Columbus, Ohio 43223

Ohio Department of Transportation
1980 W. Broad Street • Columbus, Ohio 43223

---

OhioSafe Commute program expands to reduce injuries and fatalities
Law enforcement to target high-crash locations in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland

COLUMBUS — Commuters in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland will see increased law enforcement on congested, high-crash freeways beginning next week, as state officials expand a new state program to reduce injuries and fatalities on Ohio freeways.

OhioSafe Commute, which is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OHSP), places officers on Ohio’s busiest freeways. Officers patrol these high-crash corridors to enforce safe speeds and quickly clear crashes from roadways to prevent additional crashes, and improve commute times for Ohio workers.

“We recognize that better highway engineering is only part of the solution to reducing crashes,” said ODOT Director Gordon Proctor. “How we drive our highways is just as important in creating safer roadways and preventing injuries and deaths.”

OhioSafe Commute began in 2003 as a $500,000 pilot program in central Ohio. Based on the initial success of the program, ODOT has agreed to invest $300,000 to expand the program’s reach to Cincinnati and Cleveland. If the program continues to be successful, it may be expanded to other areas of the state next year.

“We know that OhioSafe Commute works -- the program was successful in Central Ohio and we expect the same kind of results as we expand into Cleveland and Cincinnati,” said Director Kenneth L. Morckel of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. “By adding extra officers where needed and reminding Ohioans about the importance of good driving skills, we will save lives, reduce injuries and prevent tragedies from happening on our roadways.”

OhioSafe Commute will begin Oct. 12 and target the following high-crash, congested locations:

• Interstate 71 in Cincinnati from north of SR 562 to south of I-275 (636 crashes)
• Interstate 480 in Cleveland from SR 237 to SR 94 (373 crashes)
• Interstate 70 in Columbus from 18th Avenue to Brice Road (626 crashes)
• Interstate 270 in Columbus from State Route 161 to US 23 (374 crashes)
• Interstate 270 in Columbus from Morse Road to I-670 (158 crashes)
• State Route 315 in Columbus from Lane Avenue to Olentangy River Road (321 crashes)

Combined, these areas accounted for about 2,500 crashes last year. The most common causes of crashes were following too close, failure to control, and excessive speed. Each year, there are approximately 380,000 crashes that kill 1,400 people and injure 190,000 people in Ohio.

“Interstates within these metro areas have become dangerous areas to travel, particularly during commutes to and from work. OhioSafe Commute is a proactive step to making the commute safer for all that travel these corridors,” Colonel Paul McClellan, Superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said. “While we continue to see a reduction in rural fatalities, our urban roads are becoming increasingly more dangerous. By having troopers and officers in these areas, we can quickly respond and clear minor crashes, thus reducing the risk of more serious ones occurring.”

OhioSafe Commute is funded by Governor Taft's Jobs and Progress Plan through the Department of Transportation. The Plan calls for increasing the amount of money ODOT spends on high-crash locations from $35 million to $65 million annually.

# # #

04-197

---