OHIO — The Ohio Department of Transportation is celebrating National Roundabout Week by highlighting the safety improvements made by roundabouts.
The agency says roundabouts are a proven safety tool for decreasing crashes and virtually eliminating crashes that result in serious injuries or death.
The agency analyzed crash data from 76 intersections that have been converted to roundabouts and found that single-lane roundabouts decreased injury crashes by 69% while multi-lane roundabouts resulted in a 25% decline.
ODOT said these roundabouts force drivers to slow down and pay attention, which helps reduce crashes, pollution, and potentially texting while driving.
"The type of crashes change and the severity of the crashes change," Matt Bruning, Press Secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said. "That's what we've been really trying to do with this great tool is to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities, but also the number of overall crashes. That's what roundabouts do."
One of the biggest success stories is in Medina County at Route 94 and Granger Road in Granger Township.
ODOT says that since the completion of a roundabout in 2018, there has been a 57% reduction in crashes, with just over two crashes a year and zero crashes involving fatalities or serious injuries.
The designs of these roundabouts have become more elaborate, too.
In North Ridgeville, a peanut-shaped roundabout opened late last year at the intersection of Stoney Ridge and Mills roads and Avalon Drive.
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Its double-curve design is meant to slow traffic while connecting dead-end roads.
Currently, Cleveland has 12 roundabouts.
ODOT maintains 35 in the surrounding counties.
Get ready to see more. Governor Mike DeWine in July announced funding for another 25 roundabouts across the state.
