TOLEDO, Ohio — ODOT crews are still being hit while working on the side of the road despite commute numbers being down over the past few months due to COVID-19.
Thursday morning marked the 17th crash of 2020. From the end of May to early June, five crews in the state of Ohio got hit over a span of eight days.
"That is only ODOT crews, and we know that obviously we're not the only ones working alongside the road, there's contractors, there's utility workers, tow truck workers. So we just really want to remind people of the slow down move over law," said Rebecca D'angelo with ODOT district 2.
In Ohio, it is a law to either slow down or move over a lane if you see a crew working alongside the road. This is especially important to pay attention to when passing through high construction zones. There are a number of major projects in progress on I-75, I-475 and I-280 which may make moving over tricky.
"As you're driving through it it's tighter! And it feels a little more uncomfortable than typical driving. So when you're in those zones most of them have the reduce speeds posted but just drive slower," said D'angelo.
No workers were killed in recent crashes but ODOT said some were very severe, making moving over that much more important.