2,375 CRASHES IN
OHIO, OH
2021

Of the 13 fatalities and 674 injuries recorded, the vast majority involved motor vehicle occupants, with 13 motorists killed and 666 injured. Crashes involving pedestrians resulted in 8 injuries but no fatalities. No cyclists were reported killed or injured during this period.

Crash occurrences peaked on Fridays, with 385 incidents recorded. The most frequent time for crashes was the 4 p.m. hour, which saw 180 events. Overall, a majority of collisions, 1,423 or 59.9%, occurred during daylight hours.

The majority of crashes, 78.9% (1,875 incidents), resulted in no injuries and were limited to property damage. Injury-involved crashes accounted for the remaining 21.1%, including 11 fatal crashes. These 11 fatal events led to a total of 13 individual fatalities.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 11 fatal crash events resulted in 13 persons killed.

A substantial majority of crashes happened in favorable conditions, with 82.3% (1,956) on dry roads and 59.9% (1,423) in daylight. Clear weather was reported for 1,354 crashes (57.0%). Adverse conditions were less frequent, with 310 crashes on wet roads and 162 incidents during rain.

Among the 5,007 individuals involved in crashes, the 16-20 age group was the most represented with 729 people, followed closely by the 26-34 age group with 715 people. The most common vehicle makes involved in these incidents were Ford (643 vehicles), Chevrolet (631 vehicles), and Honda (405 vehicles).

The first harmful event for most crashes, 1,785 incidents (75.2%), occurred on the roadway itself. However, a significant number of crashes were run-off-road events, with 421 (17.7%) happening on the roadside, 55 (2.3%) on the shoulder, and 22 (0.9%) in the median. Combined, these off-roadway locations accounted for 21.0% of all crashes.

Analysis of the 3,772 vehicles involved shows that a majority of crashes occurred where no traffic control device was present, accounting for 2,748 units. Crashes at locations with traffic signals involved 711 vehicles, while those at intersections with stop signs involved 273 vehicles.

The most frequently cited contributing factor for drivers was 'Following too Close / ACDA', noted in 455 instances. This was followed by 'Unsafe Speed' with 341 instances and 'Failure to Yield' with 269 instances. These three factors represent the leading driver actions contributing to collisions.

Crashes involving commercial trucks accounted for 136 incidents, or 5.7% of all crashes in the county. These were nearly evenly split between semi-tractor trailers, involved in 67 crashes, and other types of commercial vehicles, involved in 69 crashes.

A total of 72 crashes involved vulnerable road users or motorcyclists. Motorcyclists were involved in 54 of these crashes. The remaining incidents involved pedestrians and bicyclists, each accounting for 9 crashes.

Animal strikes were a significant factor, accounting for 460 crashes, or 19.4% of the total for the year. The vast majority of these incidents, 443 crashes, involved collisions with deer. Other animals were involved in the remaining 17 crashes.

Impairment was a factor in 159 crashes, representing 6.7% of the total. Alcohol was the sole factor in 107 of these incidents, while drugs were the sole factor in 31. An additional 21 crashes involved a combination of both alcohol and drugs.

Among the 3,577 drivers involved, 199 were noted to have a condition other than 'Apparently Normal'. The most common of these was being 'Under the Influence of Medications / Drugs / Alcohol', which was recorded for 129 drivers. An additional 37 drivers were noted as having 'Fell Asleep; Fainted; Fatigued'.

Among the 3,489 drivers with distraction data, 177 were identified as being distracted. The leading causes were 'Other distraction inside the vehicle' with 70 instances, followed by 'Other distraction outside the vehicle' with 53 instances. Electronic device use was cited in 47 cases, including 19 for manual operation like texting.

The roadway geometry at crash locations was predominantly straight and level, accounting for 1,695 crashes (71.4%). However, crashes on grades (straight or curved) occurred in 541 instances (22.8%), and crashes on curves (level or graded) occurred in 309 instances (13.0%).

The geographic distribution of crashes was concentrated in a few key areas, with New Philadelphia recording the highest number at 544 crashes (22.9% of the county total). Dover followed with 483 crashes (20.3%), and the township of Goshen had 176 crashes (7.4%).

Analysis of the 3,772 vehicles involved shows that the most common pre-crash action was driving 'Straight Ahead', which was the case for 2,109 vehicles. The second most common action was 'Slowing or Stopped In Traffic', recorded for 543 vehicles. 'Making Left Turn' was the third most frequent action, noted for 271 vehicles.

The most common type of crash was a single-vehicle incident, categorized as 'Not Collision Between Two Vehicles in Transport', which accounted for 1,163 crashes or 49.0% of the total. Among multi-vehicle crashes, rear-end collisions were the most frequent, with 451 incidents representing 19.0% of all crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 1,655 of the 3,772 vehicles. Sport Utility Vehicles (994) and Pick up trucks (649) were the next most frequent. Combined, these three personal vehicle types constituted 82.2% of all vehicles in crashes.

A total of 5,007 individuals were involved in crashes during this period. The majority were drivers, accounting for 3,577 people (71.4%), followed by vehicle occupants (passengers), with 1,418 people (28.3%). A small fraction, 12 individuals, were pedestrians.

Of the 5,007 people involved in crashes, 687 sustained some level of injury or were fatally injured, representing 13.7% of all participants. This includes 13 fatalities, 53 serious injuries, and 621 other minor or possible injuries. The vast majority, 4,223 people (84.3%), were not injured.

Among the 4,995 vehicle occupants where safety equipment use was applicable, 3,674 were recorded as using a shoulder and lap belt. However, 242 individuals, or 4.8% of occupants, were documented as using no safety equipment at all. A further 803 were recorded as 'Other/Unknown'.

The 2,375 crashes predominantly involved either two vehicles (1,239 crashes, or 52.2%) or a single vehicle (1,064 crashes, or 44.8%). Multi-vehicle collisions involving three or more vehicles were less common, accounting for 72 incidents, or 3.0% of the total.