By Nathalia Teixeira / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there were 752 pedestrian-involved crashes reported as of May 19 — an average of 5.4 per day. Of those, 43 resulted in a fatality and 149 resulted in a serious injury.

In 2022, there were 2,417 pedestrian-related crashes reported in Ohio, an average of 6.6 per day. Of those, 164 resulted in a fatality and 515 resulted in a serious injury.

Lack of access to safe places for pedestrians to cross, drivers traveling at higher speeds and impaired and distracted driving are some of the reasons those crashes occurred. Pedestrian safety agencies are working to prevent them.

“We recognize that pedestrians are vulnerable road users,” said Maria Cantrell, the Vision Zero Columbus coordinator.

Faster speeds and larger vehicles are more likely to cause fatal crashes. 

Bridget Matt, an Ohio State Highway Patrol Sergeant, said that when vehicles are traveling faster, drivers’ reaction times decrease. If a pedestrian steps out into the street, the driver has less time to brake or swerve. 

Cantrell said when struck by a car going 20 miles per hour, a pedestrian has a better chance of surviving that crash compared to 40 miles per hour, which is usually the most realistic speed on Ohio roads. 

 “Just a few miles an hour difference makes a really significant change in outcome between life and death for a pedestrian,” Cantrell said. 

Larger vehicles also take longer to stop. 

“The weight of a vehicle determines how long it takes for that vehicle to stop or how easy that vehicle is to maneuver,” said Nathan Dennis, an Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant. “The larger the vehicle, the larger the stopping distance, or the distance it takes to slow that vehicle down when a situation occurs up ahead of you.”

Judy Converse, the public information officer at the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, said that speeding has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic because there were fewer cars on the roads and police enforcement also dropped. 

“Roads kind of became more open for drivers, and drivers just felt more comfortable with traveling at a faster speed,” Converse said.

Ohio Traffic Safety Office grants come from the federal government. They distribute those grants to partners who live and work on traffic safety in their local communities.

“It's kind of a combination of using data and then responding to crashes after they happen,” Converse said. “The goal is just to prevent crashes by changing driver behavior and then just putting safety in the hands of each individual road user.”

Vision Zero advocates for pedestrian safety and has focused on making sidewalks and crosswalks better.

“In the last two years, we just improved, added and upgraded 189 crosswalks in the city of Columbus,” Cantrell said. “We're looking as we move forward to add at least 25 more miles of sidewalks or shared-use paths where pedestrians can walk safely along the road, but we have much more work to go.”

Vision Zero Columbus launched their first action plan two years ago.

“We haven't yet seen a reduction in pedestrian fatal crashes across the city [of Columbus],” Cantrell said. “It's going to take a little more time to see the data or the outcomes to catch up with the work we're trying to do, but good work is being done towards that effort.”

Vision Zero’s goal is to eliminate crash-related fatalities and serious injuries while promoting fair, safe, and healthy mobility for all.

“We all need to do our part,” Cantrell said. “Whether you're walking, biking [or] driving a car, everyone has a shared responsibility to help yourself and each other get where they need to go safely.”

Ohio recently made distracted driving a primary offense for all drivers. Infrastructure improvements, like adding sidewalks and crosswalks, also help keep pedestrians safer.

“I really think if you can encourage safe speeds by people driving cars and better infrastructure and access, so separated safe spaces for people walking, whether they're walking along the street or good places for them to cross the street, that will make a huge difference in the outcomes that we're trying to achieve,” Cantrell said. 

Where sidewalks exist, pedestrians should always try to use them. 

“Whenever there is a sidewalk that’s available to be used by pedestrians, that should be utilized in all cases,” Matt said. 

“If you're going to be out just for a leisurely walk, it is suggested that you utilize an area that does have a sidewalk so that you can safely do that without having to worry about being out in the travel lane of a roadway,” Dennis added. 

Most pedestrian crashes occur at night because of the lack of visibility that drivers have. For that, Dennis gave some advice on what to do if you are walking on a road at night: 

1. Ensure you're wearing bright colors or reflectors;


2. Carry a flashlight, or use the one on your smartphone;


3. Try to be visible to drivers as they approach;


4. Try to be alert of your surroundings;


5. Ensure you're next to the edge of the roadway and you can remove yourself from the roadway quickly if you need to.

“As we come into the summer months, we see an increase not only in the roadway traffic of motorists but also an increase in pedestrians when the weather is nicer and people are outside more,” Matt said. “So we just need to be vigilant, be aware of our surroundings and be respectful of all those using the roadways to travel.”


Lastly, Cantrell says calling “accidents” “crashes” instead can help us remember that these crashes are preventable.


“The word ‘accident’ has a connotation that there lacks accountability,” Cantrell said. “We want to assign accountability to these outcomes because most of these incidents, these collisions, are preventable.”



This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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Two pieces of legislation in Connecticut could bolster public transportation if they make it through the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 277 would restore funding to Shore Line East to increase rail service. Ridership plummeted during the pandemic, though it's been growing modestly since then.

But as more people opt to work from home instead of commute, some question whether there's a need for more rail service.

Jay Stange, coordinator with the Transport Hartford Academy, said state investments can help transit lines attract the riders they need.

"Ridership on the Hartford Line, which has been supported by state investment, is up every year," said Stange. "We also are seeing huge increases on the Waterbury Line in Connecticut, where those service investments have been made. The bottom line is that if you don't have the service, you won't have the riders."

The 2023 budget cut funding for Shore Line East to 44% of what was required for pre-pandemic service.

The bill received wide support at a public hearing, but some residents don't agree that funding cuts cause low ridership.

Stange said restoring this funding would provide economic benefits through growing jobs and tourism.

Another bill incentivizes transit-oriented development.

House Bill 5390 would provide water and sewer funding for land-use planning and other developments, making it easier to build housing where transit and rail services exist.

Stange said it's time for the state to build better.

"Connecticut is starting to see," said Stange. "that the development pattern of the last 70 years - where we build new interstate to green-land development that's mostly single-family homes - is a money-losing proposition, in the long term."

Studies show transit-oriented development reduces air pollution and uses large plots of land to accommodate growing populations.

The bill faced opposition from communities concerned about the need for local control for developing these projects. The new version of the bill allows communities to "opt in" for these incentives instead.




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City and county governments are feeling the pinch of rising operating costs but in Wisconsin, federal incentives are driving a range of local projects, taking off some of the pressure in making communities economically viable.

Dane County is no stranger to embracing clean energy and federal aid from policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are spurring more activity.

Joe Parisi, Dane County executive, said there have been past government credits for things like solar installations and the latest approach is more expansive, with a robust list of those who can benefit.

"Everybody -- a business, a nonprofit, a church, a temple, even a government, and a local government -- gets 30% back on renewable energy projects," Parisi pointed out.

For example, a local construction company put solar arrays on several of its facilities. Parisi noted the new credits speed up the pace of reimbursements, creating more energy savings in the near future. Federal officials said demand has been strong for the programs but Parisi said one challenge is creating broader awareness so under-resourced areas can apply.

Locally, the website for the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change has posted details about project opportunities and investments. Beyond clean energy, Parisi emphasized the federal government's push for more "Made in America" manufacturing creates opportunities for local plants and regional economies.

"There's money to help retooling to manufacture (products)," Parisi stressed. "Then, there's a stronger market for those components now because they are made in America."

National polling shows Americans are greatly concerned about things like inflation but Parisi argued long-term investments stand to help reduce operating expenses for government agencies and businesses, hopefully keeping local taxes in check and providing savings for consumers.


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Federal and agency officials convened with stakeholders in Southeastern Utah to discuss how federal funds can help grow and strengthen local economies.

Lenise Peterman, mayor of Helper in Carbon County, said money from major legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act often bypasses communities like hers, which are often the most in need.

Peterman was part of the "Coal Country at a Crossroads Listening Session," examining the challenges of smaller, rural communities in addressing needs for clean energy, workforce and economic development, and infrastructure.

"I felt very optimistic, because I felt like I was no longer just this region, somewhere tucked away in the intermountain area, but somebody that they had to look at and see, and hear them say, 'I need to get this funding. How do I do this?'" Peterman recounted.

Like many rural towns, Helper has seen a declining coal industry. In 2022, five operators in Utah produced coal worth $504 million, down 15% from the previous year. Peterman pointed out power plants and coal mines have traditionally been the sources of well-paid jobs, but communities like hers are figuring out how to adapt with the times and ensure people can continue to call rural Utah home.

Peterman said she considers the listening session a success, as it brought together federal officials and local leaders to focus on possible solutions. She noted one message was the government may need to do more to ensure communities like Helper, as she put it, "don't fall through the cracks."

"How do we equate a rural community with these more urban areas that have headcount, and have people on staff who can look into these federal funding opportunities and collect them?" Peterman suggested.

She added she works with a team of 15 other individuals but is the sole grant writer for her town. Legislation in Congress, called the "Rebuild Rural America Act," would have allocated money to help smaller communities compete for federal dollars but got stuck in a Senate committee last year.


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