Greene County Combined Health District

A Safe Communities Grantee of the Ohio Department of Public Safety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:  January 4, 2008

For clarification contact:

LOCAL CONTACT NAME: Beth Player

LOCAL PHONE NUMBER: 937-374-5664

The Greene County Safe Communities program reports that for 2007, there were 14 traffic deaths in Greene County.  This compares with ten traffic deaths for the same period in 2006.  Eight of the crashes were rural and six were urban.  Seven of those fatal crashes were alcohol and/or drug related.  Three of the crashes this year were motorcycles.

Drinking while driving and not wearing a seat belt have been major contributing factors to the fatalities in Greene County.  Additional contributing circumstances include following too closely, failure to control, improper lane change or drove off the road, failure to yield, and driver inattention. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each fatality has a comprehensive cost of $3,366,388 associated with it.  The fatality cost in Greene County for 2007 is now equal to $47,294,432.

As the New Year begins, please remember to drive safely and defensively.  Set a good example by buckling your seat belt and take a few moments to make sure all of your passengers are buckled.  Take a few extra minutes to reach your destination during the winter months on the snow covered roads.

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.