Ohio Pledges $51 Million for Traffic Safety

“The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently announced plans to invest $51 million in 44 traffic safety improvement projects in 32 counties through the Highway Safety Improvement Program.” According to an article by Melina Druga for Transportation Today, “ODOT will invest $25.6 million on roadway-departure prevention projects, including modifying ditches and culverts, installing center and edge-line rumble strips, and widening roadway shoulders,” as well as improved pedestrian infrastructure. Another $30 million will be distributed to local governments.

The funding comes as pedestrian fatalities “reached their highest levels compared to the last decade, according to ODOT.” Druga notes that “Last year, 3,390 people were seriously hurt and 703 people were killed in roadway departure crashes. Additionally, 176 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, accounting for 13 percent of all traffic deaths in the state, and 530 people were seriously injured.” 

Describing the types of crashes, the article continues: “More than half of all traffic deaths and nearly half of all serious traffic injuries annually in the state are from hitting an oncoming vehicle, drivers leaving the lane and sideswiping another vehicle, or striking an object on the side of the road.”