3,360 CRASHES IN
OHIO, OH
2021

Of the 12 total fatalities, 10 were motorists and 2 were pedestrians. Motorists also accounted for the vast majority of injuries, with 1,499 individuals hurt. In addition to the 2 pedestrian fatalities, 14 pedestrians sustained injuries. No fatalities or injuries were recorded for bicyclists in this dataset.

Crash patterns in Delaware County show a clear weekly and daily rhythm. The highest number of crashes occurred on Thursdays, with 546 incidents, while the afternoon commute, specifically the 5 p.m. hour, was the single busiest hour with 287 crashes. Overall, two-thirds of all crashes (2,228) happened during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes, 70.4% (2,365 incidents), resulted in no injuries and were limited to property damage. Injury-related crashes accounted for 29.3% of the total, comprising 80 serious injury, 479 minor injury, and 427 possible injury crashes. A total of 9 separate crashes were fatal, leading to 12 deaths, indicating some incidents involved multiple fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 9 fatal crash events resulted in 12 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Data shows that 78.5% of incidents (2,637 crashes) happened on dry road surfaces, 66.3% (2,228 crashes) in daylight, and 60.6% (2,036 crashes) in clear weather. Crashes in adverse conditions were less frequent, with 313 occurring in rain, 111 in snow, and 546 on wet roads.

Among the 8,173 people involved in crashes, the 16-20 age group was the most represented, with 1,197 individuals. The 26-34 age group followed with 1,124 individuals. Analysis of the 5,949 vehicles involved shows that the most frequent makes were Honda (868 vehicles), Ford (743 vehicles), Chevrolet (687 vehicles), and Toyota (593 vehicles).

The first harmful event in most crashes, 2,784 incidents, occurred on the main roadway. However, a significant number were run-off-road events, with 442 crashes (13.2% of the total) originating on the roadside (332), shoulder (76), or in the median (34).

Among vehicles involved in collisions, the majority (63.0% or 3,743 vehicles) were at locations with no traffic controls present. Signalized intersections were the next most common location, accounting for 28.6% of vehicles in crashes (1,698 vehicles). Stop signs were present for 392 of the vehicles involved in crashes.

Analysis of driver actions indicates that 'Following too Close / ACDA' was the most cited contributing factor, attributed to 913 vehicles. 'Failure to Yield' was the second-most common factor, noted for 526 vehicles, followed by 'Drove off Road' for 343 vehicles.

Commercial trucks were involved in 312 crashes, representing 9.3% of the total for the county. Of these incidents, 186 involved a semi-tractor-trailer, while the remaining 126 involved other types of commercial vehicles.

A total of 33 crashes involved vulnerable road users, a group comprising pedestrians and bicyclists. These included 18 crashes involving pedestrians and 15 involving bicyclists. In addition, there were 36 crashes involving motorcyclists.

Crashes involving animals accounted for 367 incidents, or 10.9% of all crashes in the county. The vast majority of these, 355 crashes, were collisions with deer. The remaining 12 incidents involved other types of animals.

Impairment was a factor in 198 crashes, accounting for 5.9% of the total. Alcohol was the sole factor in 127 of these incidents, while drugs were a factor in 36 crashes, and a combination of alcohol and drugs was noted in 35 crashes.

Among all drivers involved in crashes, a small fraction were recorded with a condition other than 'Apparently Normal'. A total of 169 drivers were noted as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. An additional 41 drivers were reported to have fallen asleep, fainted, or been fatigued.

Among drivers for whom a distraction was specified, the most common factor was 'Other distraction inside the vehicle,' cited for 133 drivers. This was followed by 'Other distraction outside the vehicle' (61 drivers) and 'Other activity with an electronic device' (39 drivers). Manually operating an electronic device like a phone was noted for 25 drivers.

The roadway geometry was straight and level for the majority of crashes (2,797 incidents). However, 10.9% of crashes (365) occurred on a grade, and 7.9% of crashes (266) occurred on a curve, both of which can increase crash risk.

The geographic distribution of crashes across the county shows the highest concentration in the City of Delaware, with 765 incidents (22.8% of the county total). Orange Township had the second-highest volume with 592 crashes (17.6%), followed by Liberty Township with 348 crashes (10.4%).

Prior to impact, the most common vehicle action was 'Straight Ahead,' accounting for 54.6% of the 5,949 vehicles involved. The second-most frequent pre-crash action was 'Slowing or Stopped In Traffic,' which described 19.0% of vehicles (1,130). 'Making Left Turn' was the third-most common action, recorded for 511 vehicles (8.6%).

The most frequent type of crash was a single-vehicle incident classified as 'Not Collision Between Two Vehicles in Transport,' accounting for 36.7% of all crashes (1,233 incidents). Among multi-vehicle crashes, rear-end collisions were the most common pattern, representing 27.1% of the total (911 crashes), followed by angle collisions at 22.3% (750 crashes).

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 2,666 of the 5,949 vehicles (44.8%). Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were the second-most frequent at 1,635 vehicles (27.5%), followed by pickup trucks at 676 vehicles (11.4%). Commercial vehicles, including semi-tractors, single-unit trucks, and buses, comprised 7.9% of all vehicles in crashes.

Of the 8,173 people involved in crashes, the majority were drivers (5,706 people, or 69.8%). Passengers (occupants) made up the next largest group, with 2,448 individuals (29.9%). A small fraction, 19 people (0.2%), were recorded as pedestrians.

Among all 8,173 people involved in crashes, 12 sustained fatal injuries (0.15%). A total of 1,513 people, or 18.5% of all participants, suffered some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious. The majority of individuals, 6,509 people, were not injured.

Data on safety equipment usage was recorded for 8,154 vehicle occupants. Of these, 576 individuals, or 7.1%, were recorded as not using any form of safety restraint. The most commonly used equipment was a shoulder and lap belt, reported for 6,641 occupants.

The most common incident type was a two-vehicle collision, which accounted for 63.0% of all crashes (2,115 incidents). Single-vehicle crashes represented 30.6% of the total (1,027 incidents). Crashes involving three or more vehicles were less common, making up 6.5% of all events.