Safety top of mind for Ohio agencies as traffic levels rebound and summer travel begins

The Memorial Day holiday is behind us and again it was a deadly holiday weekend statewide.  The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 17 people died between last Friday and Memorial Day Monday.  Last year, the state recorded 15 deaths over the same holiday period. 

Memorial Day also marks the beginning of the summer travel season. 2022 is expected to be a busy travel season as people look to put the pandemic behind them.

It's a far cry from two years ago.  Back in 2020 when Ohio shut down in the early days of the pandemic it left roads virtually wide open with little traffic.  Some decided to ignore speed laws and ramped up their risky driving behaviors.       

 
But now in 2022 in addition to the summer travelers, workers returning to the office have bumped traffic back up to near pre-pandemic levels. But all those risky driving behaviors developed during the shutdown have not gone away.

It is a potentially volatile mix on our roads and highways.  And it is especially dangerous for the number of workers for the Ohio Department of Transportation. The agency has already recorded more than 80 incidents where its workers, equipment, or vehicles have been struck by drivers. Just last month, a dump truck hit an ODOT truck that was parked well off the side of the road creating a violent crash and fireball that left both vehicle drivers injured.

Later in the program, best-selling author, Brad Meltzer discusses his newest book, “The Lightning Rod.”  He also talks about how he delves into history to create a page-turning mix for readers.

Matt Bruning, Press Secretary, Ohio Department of Transportation 
Laura Bischoff, Reporter, USA Today Network Ohio Bureau 
Brad  Meltzer, Author, "The Lightning Rod"