×

Rumble strips will hopefully lessen crashes on Ohio 60

Is there anything scarier than seeing a car coming head-on toward you when you don’t have time to react or room to move out of the way? In the age of distracted driving, way too many drivers are having that experience, and for too many, it ends their lives.

There have been six fatal accidents along Ohio 60 in Washington and Morgan counties involving a driver crossing a center line since 2014, and more than 30 accidents of that nature total between 2014 and 2018.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is taking action next week by putting in centerline rumble strips to help alert drivers when they’ve moved out of their lane. On a two-lane highway like Ohio 60, these are sure to be life-saving. Whether the driver is impaired, distracted by a phone or has fallen asleep, these strips will sound an alarm and make the roadway safer.

We’re glad that ODOT listened to the concerns of law enforcement like the Ohio State Highway Patrol and is working to improve safety on this stretch of roadway, from just north of Devola to south of McConnelsville. But we’d like to see this go even further. Rural southeastern Ohio is home to a lot of these two-lane roadways with fairly high speed limits. More of these roads should be considered for the installation of the rumble stripes. If these can save lives, why are they not more frequently used? They’re fairly quick and inexpensive to install, compared to other types of road construction.

We hope this is just the start of the conversation in Washington County. If residents feel other stretches of road are unsafe, we ask them to pass on their concerns. We feel this potential life-saving action should become the norm on our area roadways.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today