29,374 CRASHES IN
OHIO, OH
2021

In 2021, 55 motorists were killed and 8,868 were injured in Hamilton County crashes. Pedestrians were also significantly impacted, with 17 killed and 341 injured. According to the provided data, no cyclists were killed or injured during this period.

Crash patterns in Hamilton County show distinct daily and weekly peaks. Fridays were the most frequent day for crashes, with 5,050 incidents, while the afternoon commute, particularly the 5 p.m. hour, was the busiest time of day with 2,516 crashes. Overall, the majority of collisions, 19,694 in total, occurred during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes in 2021 did not result in injury, with 77.4% (22,724) classified as property-damage-only. Injury-related crashes, including serious, minor, and possible injuries, accounted for the remaining incidents. A total of 65 crashes were fatal, leading to 72 fatalities, indicating that some incidents involved more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 65 fatal crash events resulted in 72 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Specifically, 64.2% of crashes happened in clear weather (18,863), 75.4% on dry road surfaces (22,149), and 67.0% during daylight hours (19,694). Crashes in adverse weather included 3,808 in rain and 750 in snow.

Analysis of persons involved in crashes shows the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 11,213 individuals, followed by the 35-44 age group with 9,228. Among the 57,205 vehicles involved, the most frequent makes were Ford (7,329), Chevrolet (7,196), and Honda (5,947).

The initial harmful event in the vast majority of crashes, 26,240 incidents, occurred on the roadway itself. A notable portion, totaling 2,540 crashes (8.6%), were classified as run-off-road events, with the first impact happening on the roadside, shoulder, outside the trafficway, or in the median.

Analysis of traffic controls at crash locations indicates that the majority of vehicles involved, 38,067, were in areas with no traffic control device present. A significant number of vehicles, 14,525, were involved in crashes at locations with a traffic signal, while 2,504 were at stop signs.

The most commonly cited contributing factor for drivers was 'Following too Close / ACDA,' attributed to 7,511 vehicles. Other significant factors included 'Failure to Yield' (3,468 vehicles), 'Improper Lane Change' (2,726 vehicles), and 'Drove off Road' (1,546 vehicles).

A total of 2,570 commercial trucks were involved in crashes during this period. Of these, 975 were identified as semi-tractor trailers, while the remaining 1,595 were classified as other types of commercial vehicles.

Crashes involving vulnerable road users and motorcyclists included 363 incidents with pedestrians, 224 with motorcyclists, and 68 with bicyclists. Combined, crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists totaled 431, representing 1.5% of all crashes.

A total of 311 crashes involved collisions with animals, representing 1.1% of all crashes in the county. The vast majority of these, 290 incidents, were strikes involving deer.

Impairment was a factor in 952 crashes, or 3.2% of the total. Among the drivers involved in these incidents where impairment was specified, alcohol was suspected in 730 cases, drugs in 160 cases, and a combination of alcohol and drugs in 62 cases.

Beyond impairment, other non-normal driver conditions were noted for a fraction of drivers. These included emotional states like anger or distress (293 drivers), physical impairments (238 drivers), and fatigue or falling asleep (193 drivers).

Among drivers for whom a specific distraction was recorded, the most common issues were general distractions inside the vehicle (490 drivers) or outside the vehicle (488 drivers). Electronic device use was specifically cited for 376 drivers, including 160 who were manually operating a device and 52 talking on a hand-held device.

While most crashes occurred on straight and level roads (19,581), a notable number happened on sloped or curved sections. Crashes on grades accounted for 8,365 incidents (28.5% of the total), and crashes on curves accounted for 3,369 incidents (11.5% of the total).

The geographic distribution of crashes within Hamilton County is highly concentrated in the City of Cincinnati, which saw 15,647 incidents, or 53.3% of the county's total. Following Cincinnati were Colerain Township with 1,656 crashes (5.6%) and Green Township with 1,497 crashes (5.1%).

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles was driving straight ahead, which was reported for 28,156 vehicles (49.2% of all involved). The next most frequent actions were slowing or being stopped in traffic (8,542 vehicles) and being parked (4,725 vehicles).

Rear-end collisions were the most common crash type in Hamilton County, accounting for 8,041 incidents or 27.4% of the total. Angle collisions were the second most frequent type at 7,519 (25.6%), followed by crashes not involving another vehicle in transport, which numbered 6,451 (22.0%).

Passenger cars were the most prevalent vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 34,762 units (60.8% of the total). Sport Utility Vehicles (10,853 units) and Pick up trucks (4,105 units) were also frequently involved. Commercial vehicles, including semi-tractors, single-unit trucks, and buses, comprised 3.8% of all vehicles in crashes.

The overwhelming majority of individuals involved in crashes were drivers, accounting for 51,959 people or 84.6% of the total. Vehicle occupants (passengers) made up another 14.8% (9,066 people), while pedestrians accounted for 377 individuals (0.6%).

Of the 61,402 people involved in traffic crashes, 72 sustained fatal injuries (0.12%). A total of 9,209 individuals, or 15.0% of all persons involved, sustained some level of injury, ranging from possible to serious, while the majority (51,365) were not injured.

Among vehicle occupants for whom safety equipment use was recorded, 2,145 individuals were reported as not using any restraints. The most commonly used equipment was a shoulder and lap belt, reported for 47,914 individuals. Child restraint systems, including forward-facing, rear-facing, and booster seats, were used by a combined 1,277 children.

The most common incident involved two vehicles, which accounted for 22,877 crashes or 77.9% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most frequent, with 4,259 incidents (14.5%). Crashes involving three or more vehicles represented 7.6% of all incidents.