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Staying safe on the road

By this point in 2020, there had been 407 deaths on Ohio’s roads.

This year there have been 507.

So what is to blame for the horrifying increase in the number of deadly traffic crashes?

“A lot of the problems we are dealing with is not only the aggressive part of it, but sometimes, and to just say it, it’s inconsideration, sometimes people putting their agenda ahead of the safety of others,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Burd said.

Selfishness and poor planning, in other words.

Burd said drivers are, among other problems, not giving themselves enough time to arrive at their destinations.

When that kind of stress leads to road rage, speeding and other aggression, it can cause a crash.

Maybe returning to a world of meetings, deadlines, appointments and social engagements on top of the accumulated stress of more than a year’s worth of pandemic survival mode is taking its toll.

In addition, months in lockdown left many of us accustomed to instant gratification when it comes to checking messages, looking this up, etc., on our cellphones.

And, as Ohio Department of Transportation Spokesman Matt Bruning put it, “… It just continues to be those same things that we have talked about for decades, really. Driving sober, dropping distractions, obeying the speed limit, buckling up.”

It appears we need to add: leave in plenty of time to reach your destination without putting yourself and other drivers in danger.

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