2002 Ohio Crash Frequency by County and Selected Cities

Crash frequency is greater in areas of higher traffic density. It makes sense—the greater the number of vehicles on the road in an area, the greater the chance for involvement in a car crash.

To illustrate, during 2002 the 239,255 registered vehicles in Cincinnati were involved in 19,217 crashes, a ratio of 1 crash for every 12.5 registered vehicles. The 534,181 vehicles in the remainder of Hamilton County were involved in 18,837 crashes, a ratio of 1 crash for every 28.4 registered vehicles. For the sake of comparison, the 19,917 registered vehicles in Monroe County were involved in only 327 crashes, a ratio of 1 crash for every 60.9 vehicles. The average statewide ratio was 1 crash for every 31.2 registered vehicles.

The table that follows shows the number of motor vehicle registrations, crashes and a ratio of crashes to vehicles within each Ohio county. Cities within counties are listed where information was available.

1,100 deaths annually can be attributed to red light running. There are about 200,000 crashes a year at red lights. (Federal Highway Administration)

* No data was available for a city within the county

Sources—Crashes: Ohio Department of Public Safety, 2002 Ohio Traffic Crash Facts; Registrations: Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drowsy driving is to blame for 1,500 deaths, 40,000 injuries and 100,000 crashes annually. More than one in three drivers in a 2002 NHTSA survey admitted having dozed off while driving at least once, a figure that’s likely under-reported.