ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Ohio State Highway Patrol recently announced an alarming number of pedestrian-related crashes that have occured on Ohio’s roadways over the last five years and Zanesville Post Sgt. Jeff Jirles spoke about some of the conditions that contributed to the number as well as 3 pedestrian fatalities that have occurred in Muskingum County this year.
“The amount of daylight every day is getting less and less,” Jirles said. “So this time of the year we like to remind motorists and pedestrians who are out there to share the responsibility of doing this safely. Unfortunately, we are having about 3,000 pedestrian-involved, serious injury or fatal crashes every year. Here in Muskingum County we’ve had three since May.”
Since 2017, there have been 14,466 pedestrian-related crashes and 843 of those crashes have involved the deaths of 847 pedestrians. Nearly half of the crashes occurred between 6 p.m. and Midnight and over half of the fatal crashes found the pedestrians at fault.
“We like to tell folks that it’s a shared responsibility,” Jirles said. “Both people have to be doing the right thing. Motorists need to be watching for the pedestrians and pedestrians need to be aware of the situation they’re in walking along the roadway.”
Jirles advised motorists not to be distracted by electronic devices and pedestrians to wear reflective gear near roadways and if possible, choose safer areas such as trails for exercising.
