Distracted-driving corridor shows speeding is a problem

LIMA — The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Tuesday shared the effectiveness of a distracted-driving safety corridor on Interstate 75 in Allen and Hancock counties, a press release from ODOT said. The corridor was established on a section of I-75 from south of the village of Beaverdam in Allen County, to the rest areas in Hancock County, south of the city of Findlay, as a distracted-driving safety corridor in March of last year. The corridor is designated by a series of signs both northbound and southbound which warn of the dangers of driving distracted. The signs notify motorists they are entering the corridor and there is zero tolerance for unsafe driving behaviors. The I-75 corridor is the second distracted-driving safety corridor established in northwest Ohio. A corridor was placed on U.S. 6 in Wood, Sandusky and Henry counties in 2018. "The purpose of the corridor is two-fold: educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, and make motorists aware of law enforcement's intense focus on stopping it," Lt. Tim Grigsby of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Lima post was quoted as saying in the press release. Although traffic counts overall remain lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crashes occurring given the traffic that remains have decreased, according to the release. "We attribute that to the corridor and the opportunity it provides to educate and enforce," Grigsby was quoted as saying. What remains prevalent is excessive speed, with many choosing to travel more than 20 miles over the speed limit, the release said. Last month, approximately 30 crashes on I-75 were attributed to speed, according to the release. Air patrol will be in the area this month and will be present during designated times, the release said. "Overall, vehicular traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels and the temptation to speed on fairly open highways has persisted for the past year," Grigsby was quoted as saying in the release. From January 2019 through mid-April of this year, approximately 90 violations for distracted driving and more than 2,200 speed violations within the corridor were issued, according to the release. During this same period, the release said, 386 crashes occurred, with two resulting in fatalities. For the previous three years, 400 crashes were recorded, with three resulting in fatalities. The distracted-driving corridor on I-75 will remain in place as long as it produces results. "This was intended to be a multi-year, targeted approach to reducing crashes related to distracted driving in this section of I-75, and we believe it has done so," Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 deputy director, was quoted as saying in the release. "The idea isn't just to reduce crashes here, but also to place in the mind of motorists an awareness to drive safely and attentive at all times, everywhere." Similar corridors established in crash-prone areas elsewhere in the state have proven to be effective, the release said. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol will continue to identify and establish distracted driving safety corridors, according to the release.