DEEPER INTO QUESTIONS RAISED
ABOUT HOW AN INCREASE IN SPEED
IS IMPACTING ACCIDENTS ON OHIO
INTERSTATES.
BROOKE:SPEED LIMITS ON SOME
HIGHWAYS RAISED TO 70 MILES
PER HOUR FIVE YEARS AGO.A
REPORT FROM THE THE STATE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
FOUND SINCE THAT TIME -
CRASHES HAVE GONE UP BY NEARLY
25 PERCENT ON THOSE ROADS.2
NEWS REPORTER KRISTEN ESKOW IS
LIVE WITH THE CONVERSATION
THOSE STATISTICS HAVE SPARKED.
KRISTEN:BROOKE -STATE POLICE
SAY LUCKILY THE RISE IN
CRASHES IN THE MIAMI VALLEY -
ISN'T AS HIGH AS IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE.BUT STATE
POLICE SAY THEY'VE STILL SEEN
A SLIGHT INCREASE IN OUR AREA.
SO WE DECIDED TO LOOK INTO WHY
THE SPEED LIMIT WAS CHANGED IN
THE FIRST PLACE - AND WHAT'S
BEING DONE - TO TRY TO TURN
THINGS AROUND.
(SOUND OF CARS)THIS IS
INTERSTATE 75. (SOUND OF CARS)
HERE IN MIAMI COUNTY - IT'S A
WAY OF TRAVEL FOR UP TO 65
THOUSAND VEHICLES PER DAY.
(SOUND OF CARS) TY THORNTON
- TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 75:
"70 MILES AN HOUR - IT'S VERY
EASY TO GET TO, AND IT'S VERY
EASY TO EXCEED." STEPHEN
ZAKOOR - TRACTOR-TRAILER
DRIVER ON INTERSTATE 75:
"DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, I
CONSTANTLY SEE PEOPLE DOING
THINGS THEY SHOULDN'T BE
BEHIND THE WHEEL."THAT -
COMBINED WITH A NEED FOR SPEED
- HAS SOME PEOPLE CONCERNED.
DRIVERS ARE NOW ABLE TO GO
FIVE MILES PER HOUR FASTER -
SINCE THE SPEED LIMIT WAS
RAISED TO 70 ON MA HIGHWAYS
IN OHIO IN 2013. SINCE THEN -
SUE VON ASCHEN SAYS SHE
BELIEVES MANY DRIVERS - HAVE
INCREASED THEIR SPEEDS MORE
THAN THAT.ASCHEN - COMMUTES ON
INTERSTATE 75: "THEY'VE GOT TO
SOMETIMES BE GOING 80, 85. AND
THAT'S SCARY."VON ASCHEN LIVES
IN PIQUA - AND TAKES I-75 TO
GO SHOPPING IN LIMA AND THE
DAYTON AREA. SHE SAYS SHE
BELIEVES LOWERING THE SPEED
LIMIT - IS SOMETHING THE STATE
SHOULD CONSIDER. SUE VON
ASCHEN: "AT 65, MAYBE THEY
WOULD SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT
MORE EVEN ON THE OTHER SIDE -
ON THE LEFT LANE OR THE MIDDLE
LANE."(SOUND OF CARS) THE OHIO
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
TESTED THE LIMITS - COMPARING
65 AND 70 MILES PER HOUR IN A
RECENT STUDY. THE STUDY FOUND
A NEARLY 25 PERCENT INCREASE
IN CRASHES ON 70 MILE PER HOUR
ROADS SINCE THE SPEED LIMIT
WAS CHANGED. THAT INCLUDES A
66-PERCENT INCREASE IN LANE-
CHANGE RELATED CRASHES.
KRISTEN: "DO YOU BELIEVE
RAISING THE SPEED LIMIT WAS A
MISTAKE?" ROSS MCGREGOR -
FORMER OHIO HOUSE
REPRESENTATIVE: "NO, I DO NOT."
ROSS MCGREGOR SERVED IN THE
OHIO HOUSE FOR NEARLY TEN
YEARS - REPRESENTING PART OF
CLARK COUNTY. AS FORMER CHAIR
OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR
TRANSPORTATION FINANCE - HIS
NAME APPEARS ON THE BILL WHICH
BECAME LAW IN 2013 - THAT
RAISED THE SPEED LMIT TO 70
MILES PER HOUR ON MANY
STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY. ROSS
MCGREGOR: "I KNOW THAT MY
COLLEAGUES AND I WOULD NOT
HAVE PROMOTED THIS CHANGE IF
WE FELT THAT THERE WAS A RISK
TO PUBLIC SAFETY."MCGREGOR
SAYS A MAIN REASON FOR THE
CHANGE - TO GIVE OHIO HIGHWAYS
A SPEED LIMIT CONSISTENT WITH
SURROUNDING STATES. HE SAYS HE
BELIEVES OFFICIALS SHOULD LOOK
AT OTHER FACTORS - BEFORE
CONSIDERING A SPEED LIMIT
CHANGE.ROSS MCGREGOR: "WHAT
ARE THE CAUSES OF THOSE? I
DON'T KNOW. IS IT SPEED? I'M
NOT SAYING IT'S NOT, BUT THERE
ARE A LOT OF OTHER VARIABLES."
(SOUND OF CARS)THE OHIO
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DECLINED OUR REQUEST FOR AN
INTERVIEW FOR THIS STORY -
REFERRING US TO STATE POLICE.
BUT A SPOKESPERSON TOLD US BY
E-MAIL THAT ODOT HAS THE POWER
TO LOWER SPEED LIMITS ON ITS
OWN. RIGHT NOW - HE SAYS
THAT'S NOT BEING CONSIDERED -
AND ODOT WILL CONTINUE WORKING
WITH STATE POLICE TO DETERMINE
IF ANY CHANGES ARE NEEDED.LT.
JOSEPH GEBHART - OHIO STATE
HIGHWAY PATROL: "WE KNOW THAT
THE MORE YOU INCREASE SPEEDS,
THE HIGHER THE LIKELIHOOD THAT
YOU'RE INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC
CRASH."LIEUTENANT JOSEPH
GEBHART WORKS FOR THE OHIO
STATE HIGHWAY PATROL'S PIQUA
POST. HIS TEAM OVERSEES A
ROUGHLY 40-MILE STRETCH OF
INTERSTATE 75 - IN MIAMI AND
SHELBY COUNTIES. LT. JOSEPH
GEBHART: "70 MILES AN HOUR ON
DRY ROADS WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC
AND GOOD VISIBILITY IS REALLY
NOT TOO PROBLEMATIC. WHEN IT
BECOMES PROBLEMATIC IS WHEN
YOU HAVE INCLEMENT WEATHER,
WHEN YOU HAVE HEAVIER TRAFFIC,
WHEN YOU HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT
START FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE."
OFFICIALS SAY STATE POLICE
HAVE ADDED PATROLS ON THREE
SECTIONS OF HIGHWAYS WITH THE
BIGGEST INCREASE IN CRASHES -
TWO IN CENTRAL OHIO AND ONE IN
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE
BUCKEYE STATE. IT'S A
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STUDY -
TO SEE IF TARGETED ENFORCEMENT
WILL TURN THINGS AROUND.
LIEUTENANT GEBHART SAYE
QOSHAS SEEN A SLIGHT
INCREASE IN CRASHES - SO THE
SPEED LIMIT HASN'T CHANGED
THEIR PATROLLING TACTICS SO
FAR. HE SAYS CONTINUING TO
EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE
ISSUE IS KEY.LT. JOSEPH
GEBHART: "INCREASE THE
DISTANCE, PUT THE PHONES DOWN,
AND PAY ATTENTION."BACK IN
PIQUA - SUE VON ASCHEN SAYS
SHE'S NOT SURE LOWERING THE
SPEED LIMIT WOULD CHANGE
DRIVERS' HABITS. SHE SAYS SHE
BELIEVES SAFETY ON THE ROADS -
IS PRIMARILY IN DRIVERS' HANDS.
SUE VON ASCHEN: "KEEP YOUR
EYES OPEN. DON'T BE ON THE
PHONE. DON'T BE SPEEDING.
WATCH AROUND YOU AS MUCH AS
YOU CAN WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING."
KRISTEN:OFFICIALS SAY STATE
POLICE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
SIX-MONTH TARGETED ENFORCEMENT
PERIOD IN THOSE THREE AREAS
WITH THE BIGGEST INCREASES IN
CRASHES.AT THE END OF THAT
TIME PERIOD - STATE OFFICIALS
WILL SEE IF THAT'S DONE
ANYTHING TO SLOW THE RISE IN
CRASHES - BEFORE DECIDING HOW
TO PROCEED.LIVE IN TIPP CITY -
KRISTEN ESKOW, 2 NEWS WORKING
FOR YOU.