Beausay & Nichols’ Safety Series
Part One: 10 of Ohio’s Most Dangerous Rural Roads
From 2015 through 2019, there have been 1,506,386 crashes in Ohio. 13% resulted in injuries. We at Beausay & Nichols want to provide you with information to keep you and your family safe. To that end, we begin this series with a list of 10 of Ohio’s Most Dangerous Rural Roads. This information comes from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Highway Safety Improvement Program’s most recent study (2018). Each year, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s Highway Safety Improvement Program determines which roadway locations are priorities for safety upgrades. The Program considers several factors in making this determination, including:
- Roadways with higher than predicted crash frequency
- Crash severity
- Roadways with highest potential for reducing crashes
While we’ve only listed the annual average crash rate in our table, keep in mind that there are other factors that influence ODOT’s study. ODOT has divided its annual lists into three general categories: rural, suburban, and urban. This week, we begin with RURAL roadways; next week, we’ll follow with SUBURBAN roadways. The following week, we’ll complete this series with URBAN roadways. Stay tuned to see how your county ranks!
10 of Ohio’s Most Dangerous Rural Roads
| County | Location | Intersection / Segment | Average Observed Crashes Per Year (2014–2018) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williams | West Unity | I-90E at Tiffin River Service Plaza (between Exits 13 and 25) | 199.75 |
| Sandusky | Vickery | I-90E at Commodore Perry Service Plaza (between Exits 91 and 110) | 196 |
| Sandusky | Genoa | I-90E at Wyandot Service Plaza (between Exits 71 and 81) | 155.1 |
| Williams | Edon | I-90E west of OH-49 | 127.08 |
| Delaware | Sunbury | I-71N at 36E Exit | 123 |
| Mahoning | Petersburg | I-76 near Eastgate Toll Plaza | 117.73 |
| Delaware | Sunbury | US 36E just west of I-71N Exit | 83.38 |
| Fayette | Jeffersonville | US-35 SE just NW of outlet malls | 78.2 |
| Pickaway | Circleville | US-23S just north of North Court Street | 75.38 |
| Mahoning | North Jackson | I-76 | 69.91 |
