89 CRASHES IN
COLUMBUS, OHIO
2023

The peak day for fatal crashes remained Friday in both periods, with 16 fatal crashes each. However, the peak hour for fatal crashes shifted from 2 AM in the prior period (8 fatal crashes) to 10 PM in the current period (10 fatal crashes), indicating a change in the timing of peak fatal crash activity.

In the current period, 59 fatal crashes occurred in clear weather, a slight decrease from 61 in the prior period. Fatal crashes in rainy conditions increased from 9 in the prior period to 16 in the current period, while those in cloudy conditions decreased from 18 to 13. For lighting, fatal crashes during daylight increased from 28 to 38, while those in dark-not-lighted conditions decreased from 19 to 12.

The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes increased by 22.14%, from 131 in the prior period to 160 in the current period. Honda became the most frequently involved make in current fatal crashes with 23 vehicles, up from 15, surpassing Chevrolet (20) and Ford (13), which were both at 17 in the prior period.

The most frequent speed zone for fatal crashes remained 35 mph in both periods, with 27 fatal crashes each. Fatal crashes in 45 mph zones increased from 14 in the prior period to 15 in the current period, and in 65 mph zones, they increased from 10 to 14. Conversely, fatal crashes in 25 mph zones decreased from 11 to 8.

The dominant manner of collision in the current period was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport' with 40 fatal crashes, a decrease from 56 in the prior period. Angle collisions increased from 22 in the prior period to 27 in the current period, while Front-to-Front collisions doubled from 5 to 10.

The most common vehicle body type in fatal crashes remained '4-door sedan, hardtop', increasing from 45 in the prior period to 52 in the current period. Two Wheel Motorcycles involved in fatal crashes saw a notable increase from 12 to 19. The number of large trucks (truck-tractors and single-unit straight trucks) involved in fatal crashes increased from 4 in the prior period to 7 in the current period.

In the current period, 88 fatal crashes occurred on urban trafficways, while 1 fatal crash occurred on a rural trafficway. This indicates that the vast majority of fatal crashes in this jurisdiction occurred in urban areas, with rural roads accounting for a small portion.

Minor Arterial roads saw an increase in fatal crashes from 23 in the prior period to 29 in the current period, becoming the most frequent functional class. Fatal crashes on Interstate roads increased from 12 to 14, and on Local roads from 6 to 8. Other Principal Arterial roads (categorized as 'Principal Arterial - Other' in the prior period) decreased from 33 to 27 fatal crashes.

State Highway Agencies continued to oversee the most fatal crashes, increasing slightly from 36 in the prior period to 37 in the current period. Fatal crashes on roadways owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies increased from 25 to 26, while those on County Highway Agency roads remained stable at 25 fatal crashes each period.

The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes increased from 131 in the prior period to 158 in the current period. Passengers involved in fatal crashes also increased from 56 to 80. The number of pedestrians involved remained stable at 27, while bicyclists involved in fatal crashes increased from 1 to 3.

The number of persons sustaining fatal injuries (K) increased from 93 in the prior period to 98 in the current period. Persons with serious injuries (A) saw a notable increase from 24 to 40, and minor injuries (B) rose from 13 to 21. Possible injuries (C) remained constant at 17 persons.

The number of persons reported as using shoulder and lap belts increased from 85 in the prior period to 106 in the current period. Concurrently, the number of persons reported as using no safety equipment or for whom it was not applicable increased from 50 to 52.

The dominant point of impact, the 12 Clock Point (front center), increased from 64 occurrences in the prior period to 81 in the current period. The 11 Clock Point remained stable at 16 occurrences, while the 1 Clock Point decreased from 12 to 10 occurrences.

Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 50 in the prior period to 33 in the current period. Conversely, two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 32 to 44, and fatal crashes involving three vehicles increased significantly from 3 to 10.