October is the top month for fatal pedestrian crashes in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
“I think a lot of it is the weather is still nice,” said ODOT press secretary Matt Bruning. “People are out walking, biking as they as they normally would, but we’re losing more daylight.”
Of the 150 pedestrian crash deaths in Ohio last year, more than 100 of them happened after dark. Through September of this year, Ohio has had 86 fatal pedestrian crashes, with 73 of them happening at dawn, dusk, or during the night.
Bruning said to reduce deadly pedestrian crashes, everyone needs to pay better attention.
“This is a shared responsibility between both drivers and pedestrians,” Bruning said. “When we talk about putting down the phone and dropping the distractions, it’s not just for drivers. It’s also for those who are out walking and biking.”
Bruning said people have to make sure they’re visible. Drivers should use their headlights, and pedestrians should wear bright or high-visibility clothing. Cyclists can also add lights and reflectors to their bikes.
Drivers are also often going too fast, Bruning said. He urged people to slow down.
“it’s so important because it not only gives you more reaction time as a driver, but also in the event that something does occur, the severity of that is going to be a lot less if you’re going slower than if you’re speeding,” he said.
Bruning reminded drivers that bicycles have a right to be on the road and should get at least three feet of clearance from passing vehicles.
Pedestrians should walk in the opposite direction of traffic, while cyclists should travel with traffic and follow the rules of the road.
Bruning said ODOT still encourages people to walk and bike, and the agency knows that sometimes that’s a person’s only mode of transportation. ODOT, however, wants people to be able to travel safely.
ODOT has invested $440 million into pedestrian safety between 2019 and 2024, according to Bruning. He said that includes educational programs and construction projects like building protected bike lanes and walkways and redesigning streets.
ODOT also has a Safe Routes to School program that funds infrastructure, education and enforcement that allow kindergarten to high school students to safely walk or bike to school. That program has $5 million in funding each year.
Pedestrian deaths from crashes had been on the rise since 2009, peaking in 2021 when 176 people were killed. Since then, Ohio has seen a steady but slow decline, with 165 deaths in 2022 and 150 in 2023.
As of Aug. 2024, pedestrian deaths are down about 17% since the same time last year.
