COLUMBUS – Traffic crashes and fatalities increased in central Ohio in the five years from 2013 through 2017, according to a report released Thursday.
The Central Ohio Transportation Safety Plan, released by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission says there were 21 percent more crashes and 28 percent more fatalities during the period while Columbus-are roadways saw a 4 percent decline in serious-injury accidents.
The major factors in serious accidents were speed; distracted driving, which accounted for 25 percent more fatalities; impaired driving, and the increased presence of “vulnerable users” – pedestrians, cyclists and the operators of scooters.
The number of pedestrians killed on central Ohio roads increased 71 percent during the five-year period while the number of fatal accidents involved bicyclists decreased by one-third despite a 7.5 percent increase in overall accidents.
“While our member governments continue to make engineering improvements to our roadways, we continue to have high fatality and serious injury rates, especially for our most vulnerable roadway users. said Kerstin Carr, MORPC director of planning and sustainability.
The commission set a goal of reducing serious crashes by 8 percent by 2025 while calling attention to the increasing impact that emerging technology and trends will have on traffic, such as the growing number autonomous and electric vehicles on the roadways.
In 2017, the state of Ohio had the sixth-highest number of traffic fatalities in the United States. The state saw a 37 percent increase in fatalities in rear end crashes, a 44 percent increase in fatalities related to crashes involving drivers age 65 and older and a 62 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities.