More car crashes happen in Cuyahoga County

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Is Cuyahoga County a dangerous place to drive?

The 19 Data Journalism Team analyzed state crash statistics from the last five years and discovered Cuyahoga County consistently tops the list.

Since 2017, 19 Investigates found more crashes have happened in Cuyahoga County than in any other county.

Of the nearly 260,000 crashes recorded by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 2021, more than 10% occurred in Cuyahoga County.

Cuyahoga County ranks #2 in the state for the highest number of crashes last year, with 28,066 crashes.

This is just a few hundred behind Hamilton County, which tops the list for 2021.

“When we look at, you know, some of the higher ranking counties, you know, the contributing factor there is that we’re just more densely populated. There are a lot more attractions; there’s a lot more business around here. So naturally, you’re going to see more instances of traffic-related incidents,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Ray Santiago.

According to data from OSHP, I-90, I-480, and Route 6 are the top three highways where crashes occurred in 2021.

OSHP’s “crash density map” reveals I-90 in downtown Cleveland had the most accidents.

“I-90 being one of the main, you know, roads in and out of the city and to the suburbs, of course, we’re going to see increased citations issued, increased violations, increased crashes, more so than, you know, a country road that’s not traveled so much,” Sgt. Santiago said.

Sadly, 110 people died in crashes in Cuyahoga County last year.

That’s five more than in 2020.

State highway patrol data shows fatalities were also up statewide.

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