CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation are announcing a new safety corridor in Northeast Ohio.
Safety efforts will be focused on Interstate 480 between State Route 176 and the Lorain County line.
State troopers will be focused on speed and seat belt enforcement along the 14-mile stretch of road.
According to OSHP, there have been 800 crashes in the past two years between the Lorain County line and State Route 176 along Interstate 480.
Troopers said speed and not wearing a seat belt are the two leading causes of crashes in the corridor.
ODOT has installed multiple signs in the corridor alerting drivers to obey the speed limit, buckle up and be aware of increased enforcement. There will also be two signs in the corridor with a digital counter displaying the number of days since the last serious crash.
The previous Cuyahoga County safety corridor was on Interstate 90 between East 55th Street and East 260th Street. The corridor was in place for two years. In that time, troopers issued 974 speed violations and 524 seat belt violations.
The State Highway Patrol said increased patrols are linked to a 38% decrease in fatal crashes and a 32% decrease in the number of serious crashes. The total number of crashes also decreased by 23%.
"This initiative has never been about writing tickets. It's about preventing tragedies before they happen," Lieutenant Tim Hoffman with Ohio State Highway Patrol said. "A one-third reduction in injury crashes is an achievement, especially when each avoided crash means fewer hospital visits, fewer disruptions and fewer families affected."
Statewide, the Ohio Department of Transportation said traffic fatalities are 9% higher than this time last year. ODOT said that traffic statistic is concerning following four years of decreased traffic fatalities across the state.
Ohio State Highway Patrol said it will continue patrolling Interstate 90, but troopers will give extra time and effort to I-480 for the foreseeable future.
