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Ohio 555 rated area’s deadliest

Western Washington County route full of twists, turns

Photo illustration by PEYTON NEELY The Marietta Times Trooper Dustin Payne of the Ohio State Highway Patrol looks into a vehicle on Ohio 7 Monday afternoon.

Motorcyclists have accounted for five of the 11 fatal crashes in Washington and Morgan counties this year, leading to plans for the Ohio State Highway Patrol Marietta Post to crack down on motorcyclist education in 2017.

Ohio 555 was rated the deadliest road in both counties.

“All our fatalities were on state routes this year but 555 was the worst,” said Lt. Chris Chesar, commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Marietta Post.

Ohio 555 is rated a 4.5 out of 5 on motorcycleroads.com. The website is a source for out-of-town riders to find the best roads based on scenery, road quality and roadside amenities. Ohio 555 is known as the Triple Nickel.

“Three out of five motorcycle accidents were out-of-town riders,” said Chesar. “We are going to pay

attention by the county line next year.”

According to the website, the road that runs from western Washington County to Zanesville is not made for novice riders because of the challenging twists and turn in the road. All 62 miles of this stretch passes through primarily rural portions of Washington, Morgan, Perry and Muskingum counties, connecting unincorporated villages along the way.

“The motorcyclists’ fatal crashes is slightly slanted from what we usually see,” said Sgt. Garic Warner of Ohio State Highway Patrol Marietta Post. “It’s very out of the norm for our area.”

Out of the five motorcycle crashes, only two drivers were wearing a helmet as it is not a state law in Ohio.

During the other fatal crashes in both counties, only half of those involved were wearing their seatbelts.

Chesar said there was a fatal crash on Ohio 555 earlier this year in which the driver was alcohol impaired and tested with a blood alcohol content of .23 percent,  above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in two of the 11 crashes this year.

“This is just a prime example of two of the things we really try to enforce,” he said. “This is also a huge cause for fatalities. If he’d at least had his seatbelt on, it could have saved his life.”

Other crashes happened along Ohio 7 both north and south of Marietta and Ohio 26.

In 2015, there were 10 fatal crashes for both counties. Both Chesar and Warner said there isn’t a specific pattern that happens with fatal crashes in both counties. There were 12 deaths last year compared to this year’s 13 deaths.

Year to date, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Marietta Post has investigated 881 crashes. From Jan. 1, 2011 until Dec. 31, 2015, Washington County has seen somewhere between 1,300 and 1,500 crashes every year. Morgan County has seen between 175 and 250 crashes.

“With the holiday season approaching, the Ohio State Highway Patrol urges everyone to use their seatbelt every time they get into their vehicle and to not drive impaired,” said Chesar.

By the numbers

¯There have been a total of 11 fatal crashes in Washington and Morgan counties this year so far.

¯Thirteen people were killed in these crashes.

¯Washington County had six fatal crashes.

¯Morgan County had five fatal crashes.

¯All fatal crashes have been on state routes.

Source: The Ohio State Highway Patrol.

 

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