13,959 CRASHES IN
OHIO, OH
2021

In 2021, 54 people were killed and 5,489 were injured in Lucas County crashes. Motorists comprised the largest group, with 44 fatalities and 5,365 injuries. Vulnerable road users were also significantly impacted, with 10 pedestrians killed and 124 injured. The data reports no cyclist fatalities or injuries for the period.

Crash frequencies in Lucas County peaked on Fridays, with 2,262 incidents, and during the 3 p.m. hour, which saw 1,187 crashes. The afternoon commuting period from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. consistently showed the highest crash volumes of the day. Overall, 64.9% of all crashes (9,058) occurred during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes, 73.7% (10,284 incidents), resulted in no injuries and involved only property damage. Injury-resulting crashes accounted for 26.0% of the total, comprising 265 serious injury, 1,767 minor injury, and 1,590 possible injury crashes. There were 53 crashes that resulted in one or more fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 53 fatal crash events resulted in 54 persons killed.

A significant majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions, with 76.3% on dry roads (10,651 crashes), 66.2% in clear weather (9,234 crashes), and 64.9% in daylight (9,058 crashes). Adverse conditions were less frequent, with 2,664 crashes on wet roads and 1,407 occurring during rain. Snow was a factor on the road surface in 388 crashes.

Among the 33,325 people involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, with 5,499 individuals. Analysis of the 26,866 vehicles involved shows that the most frequent makes were Chevrolet (4,233), Ford (4,143), and Dodge (2,403). These top three makes collectively accounted for a significant portion of vehicles in collisions.

The vast majority of initial harmful events, 12,558 crashes, occurred directly on the roadway. A total of 793 crashes were classified as run-off-road events, where the first impact occurred off the primary travel lanes. These included 389 crashes on the shoulder, 333 on the roadside, and 71 in the median.

Analysis of traffic controls associated with vehicles in crashes shows that 15,869 units were at locations with no traffic controls. At controlled locations, 8,507 units were at intersections with a traffic signal, while 1,552 were at locations with a stop sign. A smaller number of vehicles were involved in crashes at locations with roundabouts (412) or yield signs (213).

Among contributing factors cited for drivers, 'Following too Close / ACDA' was the most common, noted in 3,397 instances. 'Failure to Yield' was the second-leading factor with 2,160 citations, followed by 'Improper Lane Change' with 981 instances. 'Drove off Road' and 'Ran Red Light' were also significant factors, attributed in 717 and 562 cases, respectively.

A total of 790 commercial vehicles were involved in crashes in 2021. Of these, 533 were identified as semi-tractor-trailers. The remaining 257 were classified as other types of commercial vehicles.

Crashes in 2021 involved 392 vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Motorcyclists were the largest group with 191 incidents. There were 201 crashes involving vulnerable road users, which included 137 pedestrians and 64 bicyclists.

There were 319 crashes involving animals reported in 2021, accounting for 2.3% of all incidents. The vast majority of these, 290 crashes, specifically involved collisions with deer. The remaining 29 incidents involved other, unspecified types of animals.

Impairment was a factor in 491 crashes, representing 3.5% of the total. Alcohol was the most frequently cited substance, involved in 375 crashes. An additional 75 crashes involved drugs, and 41 crashes involved a combination of both alcohol and drugs.

Beyond normal driving conditions, officers noted specific adverse driver states in 703 instances. The most common was being 'Under the Influence of Medications / Drugs / Alcohol', recorded for 404 drivers. Other noted conditions included 'Fell Asleep; Fainted; Fatigued' (91 drivers), 'Physical Impairment' (82 drivers), and 'Emotional' distress (67 drivers).

Among drivers for whom a specific distraction was noted, the most common were 'Other distraction inside the vehicle' (259 drivers) and 'Other distraction outside the vehicle' (240 drivers). The use of electronic devices was also a factor, with 83 drivers cited for manually operating a device and 48 for talking on a hand-held device.

The majority of crashes (12,469) occurred on straight and level sections of roadway. However, road geometry was a factor in a portion of incidents, with 792 crashes occurring on curves and 971 crashes occurring on grades (either straight or curved).

The geographic distribution of crashes was heavily concentrated in the city of Toledo, which recorded 10,227 incidents, or 73.3% of the county's total. Sylvania followed with 1,225 crashes (8.8% of the total), and Springfield recorded 634 crashes (4.5% of the total).

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved in collisions was 'Straight Ahead,' documented for 13,878 vehicles. The next most frequent action was 'Slowing or Stopped In Traffic,' noted for 4,003 vehicles. 'Making Left Turn' was the third most common pre-crash maneuver, recorded for 2,375 vehicles.

The most frequent type of collision was 'Angle' crashes, accounting for 3,930 incidents or 28.2% of the total. This was closely followed by 'Rear-end' collisions, with 3,671 incidents (26.3%). Single-vehicle crashes, classified as 'Not Collision Between Two Vehicles in Transport', made up 23.6% of all incidents (3,297 crashes).

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, with 13,963 units. Sport Utility Vehicles (6,487 units) and Pick-up trucks (2,741 units) were the next most frequent. Commercial vehicles, including semi-tractors, single-unit trucks, and buses, were involved in 1,302 instances.

A total of 33,325 individuals were involved in crashes, with the majority being drivers (25,089 people). The records also included 8,094 vehicle occupants (passengers) and 142 pedestrians. These figures represent every person officially recorded in the crash reports.

Of the 33,325 people involved in traffic crashes, 54 sustained fatal injuries and 5,489 sustained some level of injury, from serious to possible. This means that approximately 16.6% of all individuals involved in a crash were injured. The majority, 25,995 people, were not injured.

Among vehicle occupants where safety equipment use was known, 24,430 were reported to have used both a shoulder and lap belt. Conversely, 1,485 occupants were documented as having used no safety equipment at all. An additional 1,127 occupants used other forms of restraints like child seats or single belts.

The majority of crashes, 77.6% (10,833 incidents), involved two vehicles. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 15.6% of the total, with 2,179 incidents. Multi-vehicle crashes involving three or more vehicles were less common, with 803 crashes involving three vehicles and 123 involving four.