In Montgomery County, there have been 25 fatal crashes that killed 30 people, Ohio State Highway Patrol Dayton Post Lt. Geoff Freeman said. Thirty-two people were killed in 28 fatal crashes at this time last year, according to Department of Public Safety statistics.
Speed and distracted driving are two of the leading causes of crashes, Freeman said.
“The faster you are going, the more stopping distance you need,” he said. “Also, there is a greater potential for injuries when someone is speeding.”
The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated a fatal crash that occurred Wednesday night on the Dayton International Airport Access Road from Interstate 70.
Steven Schoening, 47, of Vandalia, was driving a 2008 Honda Accord west on I-70 and was exiting the highway onto Airport Access Road north when the car went off the left side of the road, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The car hit a drainage culvert, causing it to overturn.
A preliminary investigation indicates that speed was a factor in the crash, but other factors remain under investigation at this time, according to the highway patrol.
Earlier this month, five people were killed in four fatal crashes that took place within a week.
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Freeman said the local OSP has cited drivers more than 3,700 times for speeding and has also issued more than 2,000 warnings for traffic violations.
He said unsafe driving is a problem, and OSP is working with other Montgomery County agencies to come up with a strategy to combat it.
But in the meantime, the patrol is taking their own action: creating awareness, educating drivers and enforcing traffic laws.
“Everybody’s goal is to get where you’re going safely,” Freeman said. “Whatever you can do to make that happen is what you need to do.”
He said it’s not uncommon for motorists to be running late and want to speed, but the risks are doing so are not worth it. He also said troopers have given more than 90 citations for distracted driving so far this year, almost doubling the amount issued at this time last year.
Drivers should consider pulling off the road if they need to take a phone call or divert their attention from the road. And he said while cellphone use is the most common distraction, anything that takes attention away from driving should be avoided.
He also said drivers need to be aware at all times when behind the wheel, even in areas where a driver is used to traveling.
“What happens is when you drive through the area and let your guard down, you get in that routine,” Freeman said. “You go to the same stop sign, you go through the same intersection, you do that day in and day out, you start developing a bad habit like rolling through that stop sign. And then one day you crash.
“It happens time and time again,” he said.
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