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By Margaret Adams
Many people are concerned about safety on the streets of Cleveland, specifically in relation to traffic and the behavior of drivers. On Mayor Bibb’s website (article dated 2/2/23), it reported 45 traffic deaths in 2022 in the city of Cleveland. This number was down from 74 in 2021. It also reported that every two weeks, an average of 13 people are seriously injured or killed in the city because of traffic incidents. The television station WOIO reported that speed was a factor in 40% of the traffic deaths in Cuyahoga County, and half of them were due to operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OVI).
The city has implemented the Vision Zero program, whose aim is to eliminate serious injuries and deaths from automobile crashes. The mayor believes slower streets are safer streets. Safer streets should lead to an improvement in the quality of life for the residents. To accomplish this, the city has started a pilot program that uses speed tables. Speed tables are vertical bumps placed across the streets that cause drivers to slow down in order to drive over them.
Operating a vehicle under the influence (DUI, DWI, or OMVI) all mean the same thing: driving a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is always recommended that a person who is drinking or has had too much to drink either have a designated driver or call a service such as Uber or Lyft to drive them home safely. Drivers should know Ohio’s open bottle law, which states it is illegal to have an open bottle of alcohol in the car. This includes the driver and passengers. Drivers also need to become aware of Ohio Law regarding marijuana: while medical marijuana use is legal, the law regarding driving while using it is something users need to become aware of. Drivers may find it costly to get an attorney to explain their use in court.
Another major violation that drivers commit is not following the law when it comes to driving through school zones and driving around school buses. Drivers are expected to drive the posted school speed limit or follow the flashing lights stating that the speed in school zones is 20 miles per hour during the school hours posted. Ohio law states that cars are to stop 10 feet away from a stopped school bus when the red lights are flashing and the stop sign arm of the bus has been extended. Drivers on both sides are to wait until the extended arm is retracted and the lights stop flashing before continuing. So many people are observed not following these laws. By not following these laws, children are in danger of being injured or killed.
Another violation that has been observed is people pulling out ahead of a line of traffic stopped for a red light or stop sign and making a turn that causes an accident. Is this type of driving worth the risk of being ticketed or causing injury?
As the weather gets warmer, this usually leads to more people out driving. Let’s be more considerate of one another. We all like to listen to music we enjoy in our car, but let’s not play our music so loud that everyone on the street and in their homes has to listen to it. The city of Cleveland has a noise pollution law: let’s not give law enforcement any more reasons to stop cars than they already have. Also, make sure you periodically check and make sure all the lights on your car are working and that you are using your turn signals when making turns. These are some of the reasons police use for stopping cars and we all know those stops have sometimes become deadly.
Let’s be safe and respectful of others and the law while driving on our city streets.
For further information:
mayor.clevelandohio.gov/city-cleveland-seeking-resident-feedback-speed-table-pilot-program
www.visionzerocle.org/