The Ohio Department of Transportation is installing new camera warning technology around the state to give highway drivers more time to prepare for slowing or stopped traffic.
Advanced cameras will monitor traffic in real time and send an alert to a warning sign to inform drivers approaching the area. The idea is to cut down on end-of-queue collisions.
According to ODOT, there were 8,811 such crashes in 2023. One of those crashes in November 2023 claimed the lives of three Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School students, two chaperones and a teacher on Interstate 70 in Licking County.
A preliminary report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol found the driver of a semitruck was following too closely when it rear-ended a vehicle, causing a chain reaction. The crash occurred about a mile away from the site of an earlier crash that had resulted in a slowdown in traffic.
The first of the 13 new advanced camera systems was installed near the site of the fatal Licking County crash.
ODOT anticipates the new system will reduce end-of-queue crashes by 16% or 1,400 fewer crashes per year.
In a release, Gov. Mike DeWine said the signs will be a help, but drivers must do their part too.
"As technology continues to evolve, we're always looking for new ways to help prevent serious and fatal crashes on our highways," DeWine said. "Although we're confident that these warning systems will help prevent crashes, there is still no substitute for safe driving. For these signs to be effective, drivers must be paying attention."
The locations chosen for the new camera system is based on highway crash statistics, according to Matt Bruning, ODOT’s statewide press secretary speaking on Ideastream Public Media's the "Sound of Ideas."
“We see congestion frequently in these locations. We see crashes at these locations, many times what we call end-of-queue crashes. So, it's someone running into the back of the stopped traffic ahead. … It's just another layer of awareness that we're giving drivers. And we thought that these locations would be the most impactful."
The area on I-70 where the Tusky Valley charter bus crash occurred was on ODOT’s radar, Bruning said, and it impacted the timeline and placement for the new warning system.
“Obviously, the Tusky Valley crash expedited the need to do something. And honestly, the stars all aligned for us at that location. We already had power. We already had a data connection,” he said. “The infrastructure was all in place, and it all worked out great that we could turn it around very quickly.”
You can listen to the entire segment from the “Sound of Ideas” by clicking on the “listen” button at the top of the page.
Guests:
-Matt Bruning, Statewide Press Secretary, ODOT
-Lt. Ray Santiago, Public Affairs Unit, OSHP
