Cleveland area troopers seek to lower accident fatalities

February 23, 2013

The Ohio State Highway Patrol recently set up a permanent full-time post in Cleveland to combat the increasing number of fatal crashes in the area. Twelve troopers will target aggressive drivers and work on speed enforcement.

Speed is a growing concern of the Highway Patrol and may be to blame for some local Freeway pile-ups. When motorists do not slow down enough during inclement wintery weather, crashes increase. A Cuyahoga County truck accident can easily occur when conditions deteriorate. Drivers who may be more comfortable driving at the speed limit may not see a slower driver until it is too late and they cannot slow down fast enough on slick roads.

This is what happened in a pile-up in Texas over Thanksgiving of last year. In a dense fog, the driver of a commercial truck was unable to see that a SUV had slowed in the pea soup conditions. By the time the truck driver saw the SUV, there was not enough time to slow down. The initial crash between the commercial truck and the SUV started a chain reaction pileup. Similar accidents can happen in Ohio during whiteouts.

In Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, the number of people dying in crashes concerned authorities enough to prompt the addition of the local Highway Patrol post. The number of collision-related deaths was 61 in 2010, 56 in 2011 and 50 last year. So far, in 2013, five people have died in Cuyahoga County crashes.

Massive pileups cause concern

Troopers maintain that massive pileups would not happen if drivers would slow down in bad weather and not follow other vehicles closely. Sgt. John Miller explained the problem to Newsnet5.com, stating, "You're not giving yourself enough reaction time in case something does happen in front of you. As a result, you get multiple vehicle pileups."

To avoid such a situation, recommendations are that you leave one car length for every 10 miles per hour. For example, if you are driving 70 miles per hour that means 7 car lengths. When the weather is bad, allow even more room.

Aggressive driving may also be to blame for many car accidents and ties in with tailgating. Troopers are cracking down on speed and aggressive driving. In the last year, they more than doubled the number of tickets issued in Lorain, Cuyahoga, Medina and Lake Counties.

The most simple message is to slow down; speed limits have increased on the nation's roads ever since the 1995 repeal of a national speed limit. Speeding-related accidents account for approximately one-third of traffic deaths across the country each year.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a trucking accident or other motor vehicle accident, contact a local personal injury lawyer who can explain your rights. You may be entitled to monetary damages to cover medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

Article provided by Gervelis Law Firm
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