Lorain County officials are taking a hard look at how people move along local roads after three recent crashes left four people dead. When the county's Traffic Fatality Review Committee sat down this week, members saw the same problems pop up again and again: pedestrians hard to see in the dark, sidewalks left buried under snow, people crossing outside marked crosswalks, and at least one crash that started with a simple but deadly turning mistake by a driver.
As reported by Morning Journal, the committee, which meets quarterly through Lorain County Public Health, walked through the details of each crash and batted around possible fixes. Mark Adams, the county health commissioner, reminded the group that "Safety on our roads is a shared responsibility that requires our attention every single day," according to the report.
Public health's safety checklist
According to Lorain County Public Health, the Safe Communities Coalition and the Traffic Fatality Review Committee lean on a mix of engineering, enforcement and education to try to keep tragedies from repeating. Their basic playbook for people on foot is simple but strict: wear bright or reflective clothing, carry a flashlight or pedestrian safety light, make eye contact with drivers before stepping out and stick to sidewalks whenever they are available.
What the committee found
Per Morning Journal, one of the reviewed deaths involved a pedestrian walking in the roadway at night who was hit from behind, even though there was a sidewalk nearby that had not been cleared of snow. Other cases featured pedestrians crossing in dark clothing, a fatal crash where no marked crosswalk existed, and a collision that began when a driver turned left into a driveway and struck a vehicle that was passing by. In its news release, the county urged property owners and designated "sidewalk caretakers" to keep sidewalks clear of snow and debris so people are not pushed into traffic lanes.
Where the county is headed
According to Lorain County Public Health, the committee's case reviews will feed into a countywide Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that will zero in on high-risk corridors for engineering changes and targeted public education. The agency and its partners also call for stepped-up enforcement around holidays and school zones and continue to tell drivers to watch closely for walkers and bikers, slow down and be ready to stop suddenly.
Officials say the fixes that save lives are often low-tech and close to home - shoveled sidewalks, brighter clothes on a nighttime walk and drivers who are not in such a hurry - but they only work if everyone does their part. The Traffic Fatality Review Committee plans to keep meeting and rolling out recommendations in hopes of heading off the next tragedy on Lorain County roads.
