COLUMBUS – In an effort to reduce the number of distracted-driving crashes on Ohio roadways, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio State Highway Patrol have designated a 12-mile stretch of U.S. 33 in Fairfield County as a distracted driving safety corridor.
Crews began installing signs (above) along the route this week to alert drivers when they enter the corridor and remind motorists to ditch the distractions.
Last month, ODOT established the first distracted driving safety corridor in Central Ohio along I-71 in Delaware and Morrow Counties.
From 2016-2018, there were 400 crashes along the U.S. 33 corridor from the Franklin County line to State Route 188, ODOT officials said.
One out of every 10 crashes involved a distracted driver.
The corridor also had at least 17 distracted driving violations per mile in 2018, while some sections had more than 30 violations per mile.
The state’s first safety corridor was established along I-76 and I-80 in Youngstown where deadly and injury crashes are down 30 percent since implementation.