4,075 CRASHES IN
OHIO, OH
2021

All 6 fatalities recorded in 2021 were motorists. Motorists also accounted for the vast majority of injuries, with 1,324 individuals injured. While no pedestrians or cyclists were killed, 26 pedestrians sustained injuries in crashes. No injuries or fatalities were recorded for cyclists.

Crash frequencies in Lake County peaked during the weekday evening commute. The most common day for crashes was Friday, with 680 incidents, and the single busiest hour was the 4 p.m. hour, with 415 crashes. Correspondingly, a majority of crashes (68.9%) occurred during daylight hours.

Of the 4,075 total crashes, the majority (75.2%) resulted in no injuries. Injury-sustaining crashes accounted for 24.7% of incidents, including 90 serious injury crashes and 473 minor injury crashes. There were 6 fatal crashes recorded, which resulted in a total of 6 fatalities.

A significant majority of crashes in Lake County occurred in clear weather and on dry roads. Specifically, 76.2% of crashes happened on a dry road surface, and 59.3% occurred in clear weather. Crashes in adverse weather included 382 in rain and 224 in snow.

Among the 9,530 people involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 1,415 individuals. The most frequent vehicle makes involved in collisions were Chevrolet (955 vehicles), Ford (864 vehicles), and Toyota (593 vehicles). Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type, accounting for 3,871 of the 7,536 vehicles in crashes.

The first harmful event in most crashes occurred on the primary road surface, accounting for 3,490 incidents. However, a notable number of crashes involved a vehicle leaving the roadway, with 235 incidents occurring on the roadside and 142 on the shoulder. In total, crashes where the first event was off the travel lanes represented approximately 11.8% of all incidents.

Data on traffic controls present at crash sites shows that the most common scenario involved no traffic control device, which was the case for 4,691 vehicles involved in crashes. For comparison, 2,359 vehicles were in crashes at locations with a traffic signal, and 371 were at locations with a stop sign.

Among driver-related actions contributing to crashes, 'Following too Close / ACDA' was the most cited factor, attributed to 1,265 vehicles. 'Failure to Yield' was the second most common factor with 645 instances, followed by 'Drove off Road' which was noted for 357 vehicles.

Crashes in 2021 involved 243 commercial vehicles. Of these, 135 were classified as 'Other Commercial Vehicle' and 108 were identified as a 'Semi-Tractor Trailer'. These vehicles represented approximately 3.2% of all vehicles involved in collisions during the year.

A total of 140 crashes involved motorcyclists, bicyclists, or pedestrians. Of these, 78 involved a motorcyclist, 34 involved a bicyclist, and 28 involved a pedestrian. Combined, crashes with bicyclists and pedestrians accounted for 62 incidents, or 1.5% of all crashes.

There were 213 crashes involving animals recorded in 2021, making up 5.2% of all crashes. The vast majority of these, 197 incidents, specifically involved deer. The remaining 16 crashes were attributed to other types of animals.

Impairment was a factor in 233 crashes, representing 5.7% of the total. Alcohol was the sole impairing substance in 189 of these incidents. An additional 22 crashes involved drugs, and 22 involved a combination of both alcohol and drugs.

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several non-normal conditions were noted. A total of 193 drivers were identified as being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Additionally, 52 drivers were reported to have fallen asleep, fainted, or been fatigued, and 42 were described as emotional.

Among drivers for whom a distraction was recorded, the most common factor was 'Other distraction inside the vehicle,' noted for 123 drivers. This was followed by 'Other distraction outside the vehicle' for 77 drivers. Operating an electronic communication device was cited as a distraction for 64 drivers, split between manual operation (32) and other electronic device activity (32).

Most crashes occurred on straight and level road segments, accounting for 3,342 incidents. However, road geometry played a role in a subset of crashes, with 13.4% of all incidents occurring on a grade (uphill or downhill). Crashes on curves, both level and graded, accounted for 8.3% of the total.

The geographic distribution of crashes was concentrated in a few key areas. The city of Mentor recorded the highest number of incidents with 1,226 crashes. Painesville had the second-highest volume with 551 crashes, followed by Willoughby with 493. Together, these three municipalities accounted for 55.7% of all crashes in the county.

Analysis of vehicle actions prior to collision shows that the most common maneuver was driving 'Straight Ahead,' which was the case for 3,782 vehicles. The second most frequent pre-crash action was 'Slowing or Stopped In Traffic,' recorded for 1,560 vehicles. These two actions combined describe the pre-crash movement of over 70% of vehicles involved.

The most frequent type of crash was 'Rear-end,' which accounted for 1,336 incidents, or 32.8% of all crashes. The second most common category was single-vehicle crashes, classified as 'Not Collision Between Two Vehicles in Transport,' with 1,086 incidents (26.7%). Angle collisions were the third most prevalent type, with 952 crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, with 3,871 units, followed by Sport Utility Vehicles with 2,045 units. Together, these two categories represented 78.5% of all vehicles in collisions. Pick-up trucks were the third most frequent, with 758 vehicles involved.

Of the 9,530 individuals involved in crashes, 7,284 (76.4%) were drivers. Vehicle occupants (passengers) constituted the next largest group with 2,217 individuals (23.3%). A small fraction, 29 individuals (0.3%), were pedestrians.

Among the 9,530 people involved in crashes, 1,350 individuals sustained some level of injury, representing 14.2% of all persons involved. This included 6 fatal injuries and 102 serious injuries. The vast majority of people, 7,952 individuals or 83.4%, were not injured.

Shoulder and lap belts were the most commonly used form of safety equipment, recorded for 7,971 individuals. Conversely, 429 people, or 4.5% of those involved in crashes, were documented as having used no safety equipment at all. Child restraint systems were used by 238 children, including both forward-facing and rear-facing seats.

The majority of crashes, 2,933 incidents or 72.0%, involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common, with 902 incidents, accounting for 22.1% of the total. While most multi-vehicle crashes involved three or four vehicles, there was one crash involving seven vehicles and another involving nine.