The signs are easy to spot as you drive down I-75 between Beaverdam and Findlay, alerting drivers that that 20 mile stretch of the highway is a distracted driving safety corridor.
This is a part of I-75 that experienced a number of crashes in the past due in part to distracted driving, so the corridor was set up to combat that data and give drivers a warning that distracting behaviors aren’t tolerated.
"A constant reminder to pay attention watch the road, watch out for other vehicles, and you couple that with strategic placement of troopers at particular times, and what happens is you’re starting to see traffic enforcement; everyone’s awareness is heightened just a little bit, and people are getting through that particular zone without crashing," said Lt. Tim Grigsby of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Since the corridor was established in 2019, around 90 violations for distracted driving and 2,300 speeding tickets were given out in that area - some promising results for ODOT and the Highway Patrol.
"We have seen positive results; there’s been a decrease in crashes, and a decrease in fatal crashes, so it’s been positive so far," said Chris Hughes, deputy director for ODOT district one.
But distracted driving is still an issue on Ohio’s roadways, and that affects more than just drivers. According to ODOT, 62 crashes involving road crews have happened throughout the state so far in 2021.
"We’re concerned for the traveling public, but we’re also concerned for our own employees and also contractors, law enforcement, tow truck drivers, utility companies, everybody has to work alongside the roadway," said Hughes. "They want to be safe, they want to go home to their families at the end of the day."
ODOT says the safety corridor on I-75 will remain active as long as it is effective.
