Ohio Crash Hot Spots: The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Where Ohio Traffic Deaths Happen

Ohio’s traffic deaths have now fallen four years in a row, from 1,356 in 2021 to 1,125 in 2025, by preliminary state figures. That’s real progress, but it hasn’t reached everyone. Pedestrian deaths went the other way in 2025, and nearly a quarter of fatal crashes started with a driver simply leaving the road.

From 2020 to 2024, Franklin County led Ohio with 555 fatal crashes, followed by Cuyahoga (519), Hamilton (334), Montgomery (304) and Lucas (220), the Highway Patrol says, and those five counties account for one in three fatal crashes statewide. ODOT’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, with strategies set for 2026 to 2030, focuses on roadway departure and intersection crashes, plus speeding, impairment, distraction and unbuckled riders.

Ohio’s Highest-Risk Corridors, Road by Road

Most of Ohio’s worst stretches are the interstates that tie the big three cities together, plus a handful of city streets that keep turning up in local safety data. Here’s what makes each one hard, with official figures wherever they’ve been published.

1. Interstate 75: Cincinnati to Dayton to Toledo

I-75 is Ohio’s main north-south freight route, running from the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati up through Dayton, Lima and Findlay to Toledo and the Michigan line. By the Highway Patrol’s count, it had 118 fatal crashes from 2020 to 2024, more than any other road in the state.

The trouble spots are mostly urban: the merges through downtown Cincinnati and Dayton, and the Butler County stretch where the SR 129 interchange in Liberty Township feeds suburban traffic onto a road full of semis. Heavy trucks plus sudden slowdowns is the classic I-75 rear-end crash.

2. Interstate 71: Cincinnati to Columbus to Cleveland

I-71 links all three of Ohio’s biggest cities, crossing in from Kentucky at Cincinnati and ending at I-90 in Cleveland. The Highway Patrol counted 117 fatal crashes on it from 2020 to 2024, just one behind I-75.

In Columbus, I-71 meets the I-270 outerbelt twice, once on the south side and once on the north, and both interchanges jam up with drivers changing lanes at the last second. Downtown, the short stretch it shares with I-70 is a constant weave. Between the cities it’s a long, fast, rural drive, and that’s where fatigue and speed catch people.

3. Interstate 70: Across Columbus and Past Springfield

I-70 crosses the middle of Ohio from the Indiana line through the Dayton area, Springfield, Columbus and Zanesville to the West Virginia border. The Highway Patrol counted 74 fatal crashes on it from 2020 to 2024, third among Ohio roads.

Downtown Columbus is the pinch point. I-70 and I-71 overlap there, and SR 315 begins at their interchange on the southwest edge of downtown, so three highways’ worth of traffic tries to sort itself out in a short space. West of Springfield, the interchange where I-675 ends adds merging trucks to an already busy rural stretch.

4. U.S. Route 23: Portsmouth to Columbus and Delaware

U.S. 23 runs from Portsmouth on the Ohio River north past Chillicothe and Circleville to Columbus, then on through Worthington and Delaware County toward Toledo. With 72 fatal crashes from 2020 to 2024, it was fourth on the Highway Patrol’s list of the leading roads for fatal crashes, and the top U.S. route on it.

Inside Columbus, U.S. 23 is mostly an ordinary city street, with traffic signals, driveways and people on foot. It follows High Street on the South Side, splits onto Third and Fourth streets downtown, swings over to Indianola Avenue and Morse Road, then picks up High Street again north through Worthington. The SR 104 interchange on the South Side and the busy stretch toward Worthington see constant merging and turning traffic.

5. SR 315 (Olentangy Freeway): Downtown Columbus to I-270

SR 315 runs north from downtown Columbus along the Olentangy River, past Ohio State’s campus and medical center, to I-270. The Lane Avenue exit serves Ohio Stadium and the Schottenstein Center, so football Saturdays and big events pack the ramps.

The freeway’s tight spacing between exits near campus gives drivers little room to merge, and backups spill onto the main lanes. Our Columbus car accident guide covers the city’s other high-crash streets and how to get a Columbus police report.

6. Interstate 90: Cleveland’s Dead Man’s Curve

Just east of downtown Cleveland, I-90 makes a sharp turn off the Innerbelt onto the Shoreway, right where SR 2 joins it. Clevelanders have called it Dead Man’s Curve for decades. The curve carries a 35 mph advisory speed, and plenty of drivers take it faster. The Highway Patrol counted 212 crashes there over five years, with serious injuries in six and no deaths, Cleveland 19 reported in 2024.

Trucks tipping over are the curve’s signature wreck. As of 2024, ODOT had funded design work to make the curve safer, but no construction date had been set.

7. U.S. Route 20 (Mentor Avenue): Mentor

Mentor Avenue is U.S. 20 through Mentor in Lake County, a busy commercial strip crossed by Center Street (SR 615) and lined with shopping centers. In the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s review of crash data through 2019, the stretch from Hopkins Road to Old Johnnycake Ridge Road ranked first among 10 high-crash corridors the agency flagged, with 229 crashes, five of them fatal or with serious injuries.

The danger here is mostly turning traffic. Drivers pulling in and out of plazas and driveways cause the angle and rear-end crashes that fill the record.

8. St. Clair Avenue and Cleveland’s East Side Streets

The City of Cleveland says St. Clair Avenue “consistently ranks as our most dangerous street for traffic crashes both citywide and statewide.” Between East 101st and East 156th streets, at least 14 people were killed and 79 seriously injured from 2020 to 2024, and the city says the corridor includes its two deadliest intersections.

Other East Side streets carry heavy traffic, too, like Euclid Avenue at East 105th Street in University Circle and Carnegie Avenue near the Cleveland Clinic.

More High-Crash Locations Across Ohio

City safety plans and regional planning agencies have put numbers on specific streets and intersections in Ohio’s biggest metros. These are the ones with published figures.

Some of these places are getting fixes.

Cincinnati’s $7.6 million Harrison Avenue project adds speed cushions, new crosswalks, curb extensions and protected bike lanes and was scheduled to wrap up by May 2026. Cleveland is redesigning St. Clair from East 101st to East 156th Street with fewer travel lanes, a center turn lane and safer crossings, backed by $2.1 million in federal money and $5 million from ODOT, with detailed design under way since fall 2025. And at State Route 32 and I-275, east of Cincinnati, ODOT says crashes fell 65% after a 2023 to 2024 rebuild, from an average of 29 a year in 2015 to 2018 to about 10, Spectrum News 1 reported.

How to Stay Safe on Ohio’s Most Dangerous Roads

You can’t avoid I-71 or High Street forever, but a few habits go a long way.

For Drivers:

1. Stay on the road: Nearly a quarter of Ohio’s fatal crashes in 2025 started with a driver leaving the roadway. Slow down on curves, at night and in rain or snow, especially on rural stretches of I-71 and I-70.
2. Respect the advisory speeds: Dead Man’s Curve on I-90 carries a 35 mph advisory speed for a reason. Ease off before the curve, not in it.
3. Give trucks room: I-75 and I-70 carry heavy freight. Don’t cut in front of a semi, and stay out of its blind spots.
4. Plan your lane early: The I-70/I-71 overlap in downtown Columbus and the I-270 interchanges reward drivers who pick their lane a mile ahead.
5. Buckle up, every seat: Nearly 62% of people killed in Ohio crashes from 2021 to 2025 weren’t wearing an available seat belt.
6. Slow down in work zones: Ohio logged more than 4,400 work zone crashes in 2025. Merge early and watch for workers and stopped traffic.

For Pedestrians:

1. Cross at signals: On wide streets like Cleveland Avenue, Morse Road and St. Clair Avenue, crossing mid-block leaves drivers almost no time to stop.
2. Be visible after dark: Wear something light or reflective, and carry a light on unlit stretches.
3. Make eye contact: Don’t assume a turning driver has seen you. Wait until the car has stopped.

For Cyclists:

1. Use protected lanes and trails: Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati are adding protected bike lanes. Use them, and use trails where you can.
2. Light up: Run a front and rear light at night and wear bright colors so drivers can pick you out.
3. Watch turning traffic: On commercial strips like Mentor Avenue, drivers pulling into plazas often don’t look for bikes.

General Tips:

1. Know your route: If you commute on I-75, I-71 or U.S. 23, leave extra time and expect sudden slowdowns.
2. Check conditions first: Lake-effect snow along I-90 and winter ice on rural interstates can change a drive fast.
3. Use live traffic tools: ODOT’s OHGO site or a navigation app will show crashes, closures and work zones as they happen.

What to Do If You’re Injured in an Ohio Car Accident

A crash on I-71, High Street or the Innerbelt can leave you hurt and rattled. What you do in the first hours and days matters, for your health and for any insurance claim.

1. Call 911. Get police to the scene even if the damage looks minor. Their crash report is the record insurers rely on. If anyone is hurt, ask for an ambulance.
2. Get checked out. Concussions and internal injuries don’t always show up right away. Go to the ER or urgent care, then follow up with your own doctor.
3. Document the scene if it’s safe. Photograph the vehicles, damage, plates, road conditions and any signs or signals. Get witnesses’ names and numbers, and swap insurance details with the other driver without admitting fault.
4. Be careful with adjusters. The other driver’s insurer may call quickly. You can politely decline a recorded statement until you have your crash report.
5. Keep everything. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, missed work and every letter or email from an insurer.

Who has your report depends on where you crashed. The Ohio State Highway Patrol takes crashes on roads outside city and village limits, including the Ohio Turnpike, while inside a city or village the local police department usually takes the report, and some county sheriff’s offices take reports too. That holds even on interstates: Cincinnati police, for example, investigate crashes on I-71, I-74 and I-75 inside the city. Our Ohio crash report guide explains how to request a copy from each.

Can’t tell which agency responded, or would rather skip the paperwork? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.

Ohio Crash Hot Spot Questions

More Ohio Crash Guides

City crash guides: Columbus, OH

County accident news: Franklin County · Cuyahoga County · Hamilton County · Montgomery County · Lucas County · Summit County · Delaware County · Mahoning County

Nearby states: Kentucky crash hot spots · Michigan crash hot spots · Indiana crash hot spots · Pennsylvania crash hot spots

For the latest, crashes from around the state are posted in Ohio accident news and our recent accident alerts.