COLUMBUS – Coming off the worst year in a decades for pedestrian fatalities in Ohio, the state is urging drivers, walkers and cyclists to be extra cautious when Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday morning.
Turn clocks back 1 hour before 2:00 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 4
Partly due to the time change and the decreasing number of daylight hours as winter approaches, the months of November and December are the deadliest Ohioans on foot, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
In 2017, 145 pedestrians were killed on Ohio roadways, 78 percent of those happening at dawn, dusk or after dark. It was the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the state in more than 10 years, state officials said.
ODOT’s You Move Ohio campaign says motorists should slow down, turn on headlights to be more visible during early morning and evening hours and clean windshields, windows, headlights and mirrors to reduce glare
Pedestrians should wear reflective clothing or accessories, such as reflective stickers or fluorescent tape attached o clothing, backpacks, purses and briefcases. They should remember look left, right, and left again and only cross when it is clear. Always cross at an intersection or crosswalk,
Both drivers and walkers should avoid distractions by staying off the phone and turning down the volume on music players.
Your Move Ohio is ODOT’s bicycle and pedestrian safety campaign, a response to a surge in fatal and serious bicycle and pedestrian crashes and epidemic levels of chronic diseases. The goal is to encourage more Ohioans to choose active transportation and to make it safer for them to walk, bike and ride the bus.