Over three years, 3,189 car crashes in Ohio resulted in fatalities. From 2018–2020, MoneyGeek found several factors involved in these accidents, including drunk driving, speeding and distracted driving. The study examined accidents on 1,940 roads out of the 262,492 miles of road in the state and broke down crash statistics by county.
Key Findings
I-71 from Exit 110B and Exit 116 is the deadliest stretch of road in Ohio. Columbus — the city where this road is located — is home to five of the ten deadliest roads in the state.
32.3% of fatal accidents in Ohio involved drunk driving while speeding contributed to 27.4% of accidents.
Distracted driving was involved in 5.1% of accidents. Compared to other states, Ohio’s numbers in this category are fairly low. A study conducted by MoneyGeek’s ranked them better than 69% of states for distracted driving rates.
The month of August had the most fatal accidents (345), followed by July (10.6%) and September (10.2%).
Franklin had more deadly accidents than any other county. Cuyahoga and Hamilton County had the next two highest numbers of fatal crashes.
10 Deadliest Road Stretches in Ohio
- DEADLIEST ROAD IN OHIOI-71 from Exit 110B to Exit 116Columbus
- Fatal Accidents:11
- fatalities:15
- Crashes Per Mile:2.2
- distance:5.0 miles
- US-40 Broad Street from Dana Avenue to Nationwide BoulevardColumbus
- Fatal Accidents:9
- fatalities:10
- Crashes Per Mile:2.1
- distance:4.3 miles
- I-75 from Exit 21 to Exit 14Sharonville | West Chester
- Fatal Accidents:7
- fatalities:8
- Crashes Per Mile:1.6
- distance:4.4 miles
- Outerbelt S Freeway from Exit 21 to Exit 16Cleveland | Valley View | Independence
- Fatal Accidents:7
- fatalities:8
- Crashes Per Mile:1.5
- distance:4.7 miles
- I-75 from Exit 4 to Exit 10ACincinnati | Saint Bernard
- Fatal Accidents:7
- fatalities:7
- Crashes Per Mile:1.8
- distance:3.8 miles
- Jack Nicklaus Freeway from Exit 43A to Exit 35Columbus | Gahanna
- Fatal Accidents:7
- fatalities:7
- Crashes Per Mile:1.4
- distance:5.0 miles
- I-75 from Exit 50B to Exit 47West Carrollton | Moraine
- Fatal Accidents:6
- fatalities:10
- Crashes Per Mile:2.0
- distance:3.0 miles
- Jack Nicklaus Freeway from Exit 52 to Exit 2Columbus
- Fatal Accidents:6
- fatalities:7
- Crashes Per Mile:1.4
- distance:4.3 miles
- Lakeland Freeway from Exit 179 to Exit 183Cleveland | Euclid | Bratenahl
- Fatal Accidents:6
- fatalities:7
- Crashes Per Mile:1.3
- distance:4.6 miles
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway from Exit 105B to Exit 110BColumbus
- Fatal Accidents:6
- fatalities:6
- Crashes Per Mile:1.5
- distance:4.1 miles
Drunk Driving Involved in 32.3% of Fatal Accidents
Of the 3,189 fatal accidents that occurred in Ohio between 2018 and 2020, 32.3% were drunk driving-related. In most states, drunk driving contributes more to fatal car crashes than other factors like distracted driving, speeding and winter conditions. MoneyGeek’s study shows Ohio follows a similar pattern.
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measures the percent of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream at a given time. In Ohio, a BAC of 0.8% makes you legally intoxicated, but consuming even a small amount of alcohol can impair your driving abilities.
Drunk driving also causes other repercussions outside of a fatality. The legal costs of drunk driving in Ohio are long-term and extensive, ranging from a license suspension to possible jail time.
If your license is suspended after a DUI conviction, you’ll need to file for SR-22 insurance in Ohio to have it reinstated. This status signals to car insurance providers that you’re a high-risk driver, leading to increased insurance rates. There may be some options available for relatively affordable insurance after a DUI, but these are almost certain to be more expensive than pre-DUI coverage.
Speeding Is a Factor in 27.4% of Fatal Crashes
Speeding was involved in 875 — or 27.4% — of all fatal crashes in Ohio from 2018 to 2020.
It’s no wonder — speeding presents numerous dangers, including losing control of your vehicle and difficulty making sudden stops, increasing the chances of severe injuries or fatalities.
Distracted Driving Contributed to 5.1% of Fatal Accidents
From 2018–2020, 164 fatal accidents involved distracted driving — that’s 5.1% of all fatal crashes in the state. While this is still a significant number of deadly accidents, MoneyGeek’s worst states for distracted driving study ranked Ohio 35th in the nation, meaning it had lower rates of distracted driving accidents than 69% of states.
August Had More Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Month
MoneyGeek found that most fatal accidents — 331 or 10.8% — from 2018 to 2020 occurred in August. July had the second-highest fatal crashes at 338, or 10.6% of all deadly accidents. September came in third with 325 (10.2%) deadly crashes.
Driving Safely Protects You, Others and Your Wallet
You can help keep Ohio’s roads safe by being a responsible driver. Safe driving practices don’t just allow you to contribute to society — they can also potentially save you hundreds of dollars per year in car insurance.
Regardless of your driving behaviors, car insurance is essential to protecting yourself financially in the event of an accident. If you cause an accident in Ohio, state insurance laws require you to cover the other driver’s bodily injury and property damage expenses. Carrying full coverage auto insurance protects you from those costs and provides coverage for damages to your own vehicle, person and passengers.
The average auto insurance policy in Ohio costs $803 per year. However, your premiums can vary depending on where you live in the state. For example, a car insurance policy in Toledo costs $837 annually. In comparison, auto coverage in Akron is $113 less. The average auto insurance plan in Columbus — Ohio’s most populated city — is $793 yearly.
These premiums may change depending on other factors such as your age, driving experience and driving record. Comparing quotes from various carriers can help you find the most affordable car insurance companies for you.
Fatal Accidents and Most Dangerous Roads: County Breakdown
Fatal crashes from Ohio’s top five counties accounted for 30.3% of all accidents resulting in fatalities — that’s 967 incidents. At 302, Franklin County contributes the most deadly crashes, with most of these happening on I-270. MoneyGeek’s analysis found that most fatal crashes in the county involved drunk driving or speeding — each being involved in 92 and 70 accidents, respectively.
Methodology
MoneyGeek analyzed fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatal Accident Reporting System’s (FARS) database for 2018, 2019 and 2020. Currently, 2020 is the latest data available in the system.
About Doug Milnes, CFA
sources
- National Highway Safety Administration. "Fatal Accident and Reporting System (FARS)." Accessed March 21, 2023.
- Federal Highway Administration. "Highway Statistics Series." Accessed March 21, 2023.