Ohio hosts a lot of traffic, including in-state motorists and commercial drivers heading all over the country. The vast majority of vehicles traveling through Ohio reach their destinations without any kind of incident. However, a small percentage of trips eventually lead to collisions.
A crash can occur on even the quietest road with the lowest possible speed limit, although certain streets are more prone to major collisions than others. Design issues, heavy traffic and speed limits all influence how dangerous different roads ultimately happen to be. When looking at fatal crashes, in particular, it is clear that some roads in Ohio are far more dangerous than others.
What are the most dangerous roads in Ohio?
Drivers in Columbus may have more risk than others in the state, as the single deadliest road in Ohio continues to be in Columbus, as are four of the other top ten deadliest stretches of road in the Buckeye State. According to a review of fatal crashes that occurred between 2018 and 2020, I-71 between Exits 110B and 116 saw the most fatal crashes during those three years. There were 15 fatalities in 11 different crashes.
The second deadliest road in Ohio is US-40 between Dana Avenue and Nationwide Boulevard, where another 10 people died. I-75 in Sharonville/West Chester has third place on the list with eight traffic deaths, which is also the number of fatalities reported on the Outerbelt S Freeway in Cleveland.
In Columbus, the other roads that made the top ten list for the state include the Jack Nicklaus Freeway between Exit 43A and Exit 35, as well as the stretch between Exits 52 and Exit 2. The tenth-place spot goes to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway between Exits 105B and 110B.
Crashes don’t have to be deadly to be serious
Losing a loved one in a preventable collision is a tragedy that can have lifelong financial consequences for the people left behind. With that said, someone doesn’t need to die in a collision for a wreck to prove catastrophic for the people involved and their closest loved ones. For every deadly collision in Ohio, there are multiple others that lead to significant personal injury. The worst crashes that occur in Ohio will generate costs far beyond what insurance will pay and may necessitate civil litigation.
Drivers who are aware of the risks and the roads where their chances of a crash are highest may have an easier time prioritizing their safety while driving. Learning more about traffic safety trends, including where crashes frequently occur, may help make driving a little less risky for Columbus-area motorists.