Ashland County Drivers Urged to Slow Down During the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer”
ASHLAND COUNTY — As summer travel picks up across Ashland County, local drivers are being reminded that the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often called the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” a time when roads become busier, teen drivers are out of school, families are traveling, motorcycles are on the road, and crashes can turn deadly in seconds.
Recent Ohio State Highway Patrol traffic safety data shows why the warning matters.
According to the Patrol’s May 2025 Speeding in Ohio Traffic Safety Bulletin, from 2020 through 2024 there were 146,983 speed-related crashes on Ohio roadways. That means roughly one in every 10 crashes in Ohio involved either a driver exceeding the posted speed limit or unsafe speed being listed as a contributing factor by the investigating officer.
The numbers become even more serious when looking at fatal crashes. Over that same five-year period, Ohio recorded 1,713 speed-related fatal crashes, resulting in 1,890 deaths. Speed-related crashes represented 30% of all fatal crashes during that time. The bulletin also noted that fatal speed-related crashes have decreased each year since 2021, dropping from 360 fatal crashes in 2021 to 319 in 2024.
Ashland County was not left out of those numbers. The map included in the Patrol’s May 2025 bulletin shows Ashland County recorded 964 speed-related crashes from 2020 through 2024. When compared to nearby counties, Ashland’s number is lower than both Richland County and Wayne County. Richland County recorded 1,209 speed-related crashes, while Wayne County recorded 1,214 speed-related crashes during the same five-year period.
That means Richland County had 245 more speed-related crashes than Ashland County, while Wayne County had 250 more. Put another way, Richland County had about 25% more speed-related crashes than Ashland County, and Wayne County had about 26% more. While Ashland County’s total was lower, nearly 1,000 speed-related crashes in five years still shows that speeding remains a serious local concern.
The comparison also matters because Ashland County sits between several heavily traveled areas. Drivers frequently move between Ashland, Richland and Wayne counties for work, school, shopping, medical appointments and summer events. Roads such as U.S. 42, U.S. 250, State Route 60, State Route 89, State Route 511 and Interstate 71 all carry local and regional traffic, meaning dangerous driving habits do not stop at the county line.
Neighboring Medina County recorded 1,721 speed-related crashes, and Lorain County recorded 2,895, showing how quickly crash numbers rise in counties with larger populations and heavier traffic. Still, for Ashland County families, the most important number is the one close to home: 964 speed-related crashes in just five years.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Speed Dashboard further explains the danger, stating that speeding poses a serious risk to drivers, passengers and pedestrians on Ohio roadways. Traveling above the posted speed limit reduces a driver’s ability to react to roadway hazards and can increase the severity of crashes when they happen.
Dashboard data provided shows OSHP recorded 1,322,279 speed violations from 2021 through 2026. Those totals include 291,040 violations in 2021, 240,902 in 2022, 233,972 in 2023, 239,392 in 2024, 220,181 in 2025 and 96,792 in 2026.
The Speed Dashboard also shows 159,239 speed-related crashes from 2021 through 2026. In those crashes, the speeder was listed as at-fault 74% of the time. The yearly crash totals include 31,354 in 2021, 30,012 in 2022, 28,161 in 2023, 27,337 in 2024, 30,097 in 2025 and 12,278 in 2026.
The dashboard’s time-and-day heat map shows speed-related crash activity occurring throughout the week, with heavier crash patterns during the afternoon and early evening hours, a reminder that dangerous driving is not limited to late nights or weekends.
The Patrol’s bulletin also shows younger drivers remain a major concern. From 2020 through 2024, one-third of speed-related crashes in Ohio were caused by drivers ages 15 to 24. Male drivers were listed as at-fault in 62% of speed-related crashes, compared to 30% for female drivers. Drivers age 65 and older were responsible for 6% of speed-related crashes.
Troopers have also been writing citations for extreme speeds. From 2020 through 2024, the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued more than 400,000 speed citations for drivers traveling 20 mph or more over the speed limit. Nearly 20,000 of those citations involved speeds of 100 mph or higher.
Speed is not the only danger facing Ashland County drivers this summer. The Patrol’s April 2026 Distracted Driving bulletin reports that from 2021 through 2025, Ohio saw 48,266 crashes involving distracted driving. Those crashes included 158 fatal crashes, 170 deaths and more than 25,000 injuries. Ashland County recorded 234 distracted-driving crashes during that period.
Once again, nearby counties were higher. The distracted driving map shows Richland County recorded 545 distracted-driving crashes, while Wayne County recorded 419. Compared to Ashland County’s 234, Richland County had 311 more distracted-driving crashes, and Wayne County had 185 more.
Impaired driving remains one of the most serious threats on Ohio roads. The Patrol’s December 2025 OVI bulletin shows that since 2020, alcohol and/or drug use was involved in 69,061 crashes statewide, resulting in 3,896 deaths and nearly 42,000 injuries. The same bulletin shows Ashland County with 309 OVI-related crashes.
For comparison, Richland County recorded 936 OVI-related crashes, while Wayne County recorded 493. That means Richland County had more than three times Ashland County’s OVI-related crash total, while Wayne County had 184 more OVI-related crashes than Ashland County.
A statewide crash dashboard updated June 15, 2026, shows Ohio recorded 373,404 crashes between Jan. 1, 2025, and June 15, 2026. The dashboard lists 1,382 fatal crashes during that period, along with more than 8,300 serious-injury crashes. The report also shows Interstate 71 as one of the top crash routes in Ohio, with 7,469 crashes, a significant reminder for Ashland County drivers who regularly travel I-71.
For Ashland County, the message is simple: even though larger neighboring counties such as Richland and Wayne show higher crash totals in several categories, Ashland County still sees hundreds of crashes tied to speed, distraction and impairment. During the summer travel season, those numbers represent real families, real roads and real risks.
Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead, give themselves extra time, put phones away, watch for motorcycles, wear seat belts and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The “100 Deadliest Days” are not just a slogan. They are a reminder that every choice behind the wheel matters, and that safe driving can save lives right here in Ashland County.
