BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Clermont County road fatalities.
(Ron Cosby infographic)
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BATAVIA -- Clermont County's roads are dangerous, but getting safer.
That was the focus of the countywide Crash Control Committee's quarterly meeting Tuesday. Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. John Bistor led the forum, a mix of 17 community and law enforcement leaders and residents.
Those attending included county Sheriff A.J. "Tim" Rodenberg, Juvenile Court Judge Stephanie Wyler, Clermont County Safe Communities Coordinator William Boyd and officers from the highway patrol and Union and Miami townships.
The good news: Alcohol-related fatalities are down significantly, from 34 percent of fatal crashes in 1997 to 18 percent so far this year, and the rate of fatalities overall is down slightly from last year.
"I think there's many factors, including public awareness," Lt. Bistor said after the forum. "Judges are getting tougher; there's more school programs. Whatever it is, it's working." The bad news: Four children under age 16 have been killed this year so far, compared with none last year.
Two of those, 15-year-old Amelia High freshmen from Union Township, were killed in an accident in June near Amelia.
That crash, in which the 17-year-old driver failed to yield to an oncoming school bus on Ohio 222 and Mount Holly Road, also illustrates one of the committee's primary concerns: inexperienced drivers. The group discussed ways to address teen-age driving, and numerous officers supported the idea of revoking the license of any teen driver convicted of a serious violation, such as driving under the influence or poor driving near a school bus.
But the Ohio Supreme Court's rulings on public access to juvenile court records are unclear, Judge Wyler said.
Many felt the public's right to safe roads must be balanced with young drivers' rights to privacy.
"There are competing interests . . . but it's important to protect kids," the judge said. "We're rushing toward this zero tolerance." Bethel resident Margaret Wagner, who suffered nerve damage in her arm when her car was rear-ended in July, had a simple message to all drivers, young and old: "You gotta pay attention."
