however, the snow doesn't always accumilate enough to use skis...Even when there is no snow, accidents will happen, sometimes in places where you think how in the world does that happen??
One example, to my knowledge, the Columbus metropolitan area seems to be the only location w/an increase in wrong way accidents...
I don't use highways/interstates enough to know for sure, but even <b>I</b> am pretty sure they mark all off ramps w/ "Do not Enter"...and twice...maybe now 3 times now that these accidents are increasing...
I think these accidents are another reason why Ohio needs public transit...
Ohio will never have public transit because they have neither the money nor the will. Ohio is a rather progressive state in some ways and a rather backward state in others. For instance, Ohio made the machines that made the machines that allowed us to have the mechanical superiority to win WWII. Ohio is also tied with Virginia for the most number of presidents from a state. However, Ohio still has a stupid law on the books that bans alcohol sales on Sunday, and it was originally enacted for religious reasons. Mass transit is one of those things that is just a little too progressive for Ohio to latch onto. Plus, since much of Ohio is rural, mass transit would be available to only a small portion of the state's population.
These accidents that you speak of are also a problem that Ohio doesn't deal well with. ODOT does a pitiful job of marking things and planning highways compared to West Virginia, Michigan or Indiana to name a few. The road signs are sometimes confusing as to what highway is where, how to get from one place to another, and there are several freeways in the state that are downright dangerous to enter and exit. I-70 to I-75, SR-27 to I-275 and I-275 to I-71 are all examples of dangerous freeways to enter or exit. ODOT placed the exit and entrance ramps on these highways too close to one another, and you have traffic trying to merge right to exit and traffic trying to merge left to enter all within 500 feet of one another. This frequently leads to accidents where people sideswipe each other while switching lanes to enter or exit.
Another thing Ohio does poorly, at least in central and southern Ohio, is preparing for winter weather. They don't seem to understand that Salt and KCL are preventivitive measures that you apply before a snowstorm to keep the roads from becoming unsafe. Instead they salt after 15 people have died on I-71 North because they slid into one another. They also don't seem to understand the art of plowing snow.
Thirdly, Ohio's driver's training program is inadequate at best when it comes to preparing drivers for the real world. A driving test in Ohio amounts to a vision test when compared to Michigan's driving test. Also, MI lets one get their permit at 14 and 9 months, and requires them to keep a log of their driving (50 hours daytime, 10 hours nighttime). Ohio has no such log, and just requires a form that says I drove 50 hours with my parent, which is usually signed by the parent regardless of the fact that their child didn't have 50 hours of driving time. Ohio doesn't grant permits until 15 and a half. Michiganders have 9 more months of driving under their belt by 16 than Ohioans do. In Michigan, the driver's training program is a two part course. Part one is classroom instruction totaling 25 hours and road training totaling 10 hours. It takes a month or more to complete. Then you must wait so many months and take part two. Part two is a refresher and refinement classroom instruction deal. You talk about driving experiences, etc. It lasts 8 hours. Ohio has a one part course that doesn't require as much car time or classroom instruction.
Also, my Michigan driver's training consisted of us driving on M-53, M-59, I-696, I-75, and on many busy, busy streets like Mound, Van Dyke, Ryan, and Rochester. Streets that easily had 60,000 cars on them every 12 hours. In my local area in Ohio, the driver's training consists of them driving up and down a state highway running through town which is speed limited to 35 MPH. This road is 5 lanes, but almost never are there more than 30 cars on it at a given time. For freeway driving, they drive on I-35 for 12 or so miles and back. The thing is that on that section of I-35, there is never anything but local traffic to and from an outlet mall, it is nothing like M-59 or I-696. However, sadly this isn't what most of their time is spent doing, most of their time is spent driving around in my subdivision at 20 MPH.
A less intensive course, coupled with a shorter learning time before licensure, a less rigerous road skills program, and the fact that most 16 year olds in Ohio didn't drive 50 hours with their parents leads to poor driving skills from the start and a lifetime of poor driving for everyone else to put up with.
These things all in concert give Ohio a disadvantage when it comes to motoring and contribute to the number of accidents we have.
