A joint effort between the Erlanger Police Department and other local police forces has reduced both collisions and injuries along the 1-75 corridor that runs from Erlanger to the Ohio river, according to the most recent data measures.
Analysis of the data suggests that the total number of collisions has declined by 35% since the inception of the project in October 2020.
The section of road in question is 16 miles long, runs both north and south and crosses eight different jurisdictions. From January 2017 to February 2019, there were 2,221 total crashes along the road, or nearly 100 wrecks a month, according to the project’s grant manager, Lt. Kim Klaire of the Erlanger Police.
The project began as an effort to increase safety along the corridor in the absence of a centralized enforcement mechanism. The project gets its funding from a federal grant and is staffed by local police officers, who work the corridor in addition to their typical duties.
Erlanger has also used the federal money to hire two dedicated traffic officers. According to the data, speed-related crashes have decreased over 50% and alcohol-related injuries have declined by 28%.
DUI citations have also declined from 32 in the 2020 fiscal year to 0 for the 2022 fiscal year, which ends in September. Although it’s not clear if the increased enforcement has led to decreased drunk driving in the region overall, Lt. Klaire contends that safety has still improved as impaired drivers displaced onto side roads tend to travel more slowly, which reduces the likelihood of injuries. Impaired driving also becomes easier to detect under such circumstances.
Erlanger Police Chief Kyle Rader believes the success of the program will likely guarantee its continued federal funding in the coming years.