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

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

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OhioSafe Commute targets high-crash locations statewide
Toledo joins statewide program to save lives, reduce injuries by reinforcing safe driving behavior

(COLUMBUS) – Commuters in Ohio’s largest cities will see increased law enforcement on congested, high-crash freeways beginning this week, as state officials continue to expand a new program to reduce injuries and fatalities on Ohio roadways.

OhioSafe Commute, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Ohio Department of the Public Safety (ODPS), and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, places troopers and police officers on Ohio’s busiest roadways. Law enforcement agencies are stationed in these high-crash corridors to enforce safer speeds and clear crashes quickly to prevent congestion and additional crashes.

“Over the past two years we’ve seen substantial decreases in speeds and crashes within Safe Commute corridors,” said ODOT Director Gordon Proctor. “These improvements demonstrate the critical role motorists play in preventing injuries and deaths on Ohio’s roadways.”

OhioSafe Commute will kick off its summer effort in the following locations (note: crash data is for 2004 and ADT is average daily traffic):

• Interstate 75 in Dayton from East River to Needmore Road (10 miles, 730 crashes, 114,150 ADT)
• Interstate 71 in Cincinnati from State Route 561 to Fields-Ertel Road (14 miles, 939 crashes, 127,654 ADT)
• Interstate 71 in Cleveland from State Route 82 to Interstate 480 (8 miles, 361 crashes, 96,713 ADT)
  Columbus
• Interstate 70 from 18th Avenue to Interstate 270 (9 miles, 619 crashes, 119,575 ADT)
• Interstate 270 from State Route 161 in Dublin to US 23 (6.5 miles, 319 crashes, 139,721 ADT)
• Interstate 270 from Morse Road to Interstate 670 (3 miles, 190 crashes, 157,856 ADT)
• State Route 315 from Lane Avenue to Interstate 270 (8 miles, 311 crashes, 108,082 ADT)
• (NEW Location) Toledo
  • Interstate 75 from Miami Street to Phillips Avenue (6 miles, 411 crashes, 96,619 ADT)
  • Interstate 475 from Talmadge Road to Interstate 75 (4 miles, 205 crashes, 97,011 ADT)

Combined, these areas accounted for approximately 4,085 crashes last year. Each year, there are approximately 380,000 crashes that kill 1,400 people and injure 190,000 people in Ohio.

In 2004, OhioSafe Commute corridors experienced a decrease in crashes by up to 20 percent and decreased speeds by up to 7 percent. In that same year, local law enforcement and the Patrol stopped 11,400 motorists and cited 8,000 drivers for excessive speed, aggressive driving or other unsafe behaviors in OhioSafe Commute corridors. So far this year, law enforcement have stopped 3,800 drivers and given 3,100 citations.

"The results of the Safe Commute program clearly demonstrate how increased public awareness and support for focused traffic enforcement can make the commute in these high-traffic areas safer and easier," Colonel Paul McClellan, Superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said. "The motorists' willingness to adhere to safe driving practices during their commute has made it safer for everyone."

OhioSafe Commute began in 2003 as a $500,000 pilot program in central Ohio. In 2004, ODOT spent $300,000 to expand the program to Cincinnati and Cleveland. This year, ODOT will spend $800,000 to target existing areas and new corridors in Toledo and Dayton.

OhioSafe Commute is funded by Governor Bob Taft’s Jobs and Progress Plan, which increases funding from $35 million to $65 million annually to improve high-crash locations.

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