In 2018, 1,065 people were killed in a traffic-related incident. That's a nine-percent decrease from 2017 when 1,177 people died. Last year was the first time in five years that the state saw a drop in fatalities.
The department plans to take a closer look at the statistics to try and learn from last year’s improved numbers.
“So we’re really trying to talk with one another about how we can try and jumpstart this positive trend and stretch it out for a longer period of time," says Michelle May, manager of ODOT's Highway Safety Program.
Franklin County had the highest numbers with 91 traffic-related deaths, while Monroe County was the only county with zero fatalities in 2018.
ODOT is also trying to find new strategies to decrease the number of pedestrian deaths, which were higher in the past three years compared to the previous 10 years.
