Safety corridor placed on U.S. 20

FREMONT — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation to launch a safety corridor on U.S. 20 in Sandusky County. Motorists will begin to see an increased presence of troopers and new signage through October 2024, as U.S. 20 between Wood and Seneca County lines will now be a designated safety corridor. This change is an effort to reduce speed and distracted driving-related crashes. "The purpose of establishing this safety corridor is to bring further awareness and education to the problem of speeding and distracted driving," Fremont post commander Lt. Angel Burgos said. "Crashes involving speeding and distracted driving are preventable," Burgos said. "Choosing to drive above the speed limit or distracted could result in the loss of your life or the person next to you on the roadway." Distracted driving is "any non-driving activity that has the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving and increases the risk of crashing." Along this stretch of U.S. 20, from 2018 through 2022, there were: • 152 speed-related crashes with two resulting in fatalities • 61 distracted driving-related crashes Dozens, meanwhile, sustained injuries. "Safety corridor signage has been erected in the corridor to remind motorists to eliminate distractions behind the wheel and to encourage motorists to obey the speed limit," said Pat McColley, deputy director of the state transportation department's District 2. "Similar safety corridors have been established across the state and have been found to be effective."