Campaign targets increase in road dangers
Dear Miami Valley neighbors,
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) proudly serves the counties, cities, townships and villages in the Miami Valley, with a focus on initiatives that promote regional collaboration, cooperation, and consensus-building.
One critical role that MVRPC plays in our region is to analyze crash data to help improve transportation safety and inform the planning process. These studies are the first steps towards understanding road safety conditions in the Miami Valley Region. Reports outline crash trends and a list of highcrash locations is generated, which identifies roadways that may need further examination to determine need for improvements.
Based on these safety studies, MVRPC launched a safety campaign focused on encouraging seat belt usage, discouraging distracted driving, and encouraging pedestrians and cyclists to wear reflective or brightly colored clothing to increase their visibility to motorists.
The campaign’s messages are in response to a statewide increase in injuries or deaths related to use of cell phones while driving, the reduced use of seat belts, and crashes where pedestrians/cyclists are struck by passing vehicles. In many of these cases, pedestrians and cyclists are also using their cell phones and not paying attention to traffic around them.
Be focused: Put down your phone and focus on driving. Distracted driving on our roadways has increased sharply in recent years as a result of phone use behind the wheel. Studies show using a cell phone behind the wheel is as dangerous as drinking and driving.
Be safe: Wear your seatbelt. Every time. Of the 88 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 on Miami Valley roadways, 35% were not wearing seatbelts. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80% of vehicle occupants who were fully ejected from a vehicle involved in a crash were killed. Seat belt use across Ohio is at its lowest in five years — only 83%. The use of seat belts and proper child restraint is a simple action to take to keep you and your family safe.
Be seen: Pedestrians and cyclists should wear brightly colored or reflective clothing so you are visible to motorists. Pedestrian strikes remain on the rise, with several fatalities in our region each year. These are preventable tragedies and MVRPC is taking action, distributing reflective vests and lights to enhance pedestrian safety in targeted high incident areas. In addition, between 2014 and 2016, bicycle crashes in the Miami Valley accounted for 0.5% of all traffic crashes, but 3.5% of fatal crashes.
By always wearing a bike helmet, using proper hand signals, and wearing bright, reflective clothing, cyclists can help reduce crashes and fatalities. Motorists need to pay close attention for cyclists and likewise, cyclists should make themselves more visible to motorists.
Be focused. Be safe. Be seen. These are simple actions that we can all take to prevent tragedies in our region.