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Traffic Fatality Update
November 1, 2011
The Richland County Safe Communities Coalition reports that for the month of October there was one traffic death in Richland County. There have been eight (8) total traffic-related deaths this year in Richland County.
The chart below reflects the five-year totals of traffic-related fatalities in Richland County for October and for the first ten (10) months of the year:
Year | October Fatalities | Through Ten Months |
2011 | 1 | 8 |
2010 | 0 | 6 |
2009 | 1 | 8 |
2008 | 0 | 13 |
2007 | 3 | 12 |
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration*, each fatality has a comprehensive cost of $3,336,388 associated with it. The seven fatalities this year cost Richland County $26,691,104.
With many people traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is using the month of November as a friendly reminder for everyone to buckle up each and every trip, day or night. Nationally, during the Thanksgiving period of 2009, more than half (54%) of the passenger vehicle occupants who died in motor vehicle crashes were not wearing a seat belt. The majority of those vehicle crash deaths occurred at night.
“To lose a loved one is a terrible thing to experience, especially during America’s family holiday, but to lose one’s life when it might have been saved by taking a couple of seconds to buckle a seat belt is truly a preventable tragedy,” said Selby Dorgan, Manager of Health Education/Promotions at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department and coordinator of the Safe Communities program.
The “Safe Communities” program was developed through the Ohio Department of Public Safety to establish and/or expand community partnerships to create safer, healthier communities throughout Ohio.
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*Source: The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes 2002, NHTSA, DOT HS 809 446
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