At the northeast corner of Rathmell Rd and Rt-23 in Franklin County stands an old brick one room school house; the Hartman Farm Schoolhouse.  These are pretty common to Ohio and nothing most people haven’t seen a hundred times.   What makes this small plot of land unique is what lies in front of the structure.  Twelve white crosses adorn the grassy slope in front, each one representing an individual who has died within close proximity to the school house since 1998.   To some, twelve may seem like a small number, but it doesn’t account for the numerous people who have been injured in this area as well.  But to others, twelve is not just a number, it’s a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a grandfather or a friend.

Why are so many people losing their lives in this small tract of land?  Human error is mostly to blame, however, engineering is also at fault. When this stretch of road was originally built it was a rural open highway and the current flow of traffic is urban and fast moving.  Drivers go from 50 miles per hour (but let’s be honest, a large number of people are going faster than the posted speed limit) to a complete stop after a short incline and decline in road level as there is a traffic light at this intersection just north of the decline.  Drivers are hurrying to work, to baseball practice, to anywhere they need to be; they are changing stations on the radio, talking on the phone and even texting.  These drivers may not know there is a traffic light after the incline and then out of the horizon, a sea of red brake lights emerge and if the driver is not fully aware then it’s a catalyst for disaster.

Rathmell Road is the last obstacle for northbound drivers before they are able to exit onto 270 and increase their speed to 70+ mph.  They know if they can beat the light, they are “home free”.  I cannot count the number of cars I’ve seen blow through red lights at this intersection as they see the yellow and speed up, just to save a couple minutes of time.  In recent years, ODOT has changed the lights so that southbound commuters cannot make a left hand turn onto Rathmell Rd without a green turn arrow, however there are at least two more options that could be utilized to prevent the tragic loss of human life.

Right hand / Northbound turns from Rathmell Rd to Rt 23 could be restricted during red lights.  Many of the accidents that have occurred at this intersection have been due to drivers turning right onto 23 and not having clear distance.   If a tractor trailer is traveling at 55 mph through this intersection and someone turns right onto 23, there’s no assurance that the truck driver is going to be able to stop to avoid a collision with the slow moving vehicle.  This could also be said for any car as the visibility north of Rathmell Rd is not clear until you start your decline towards the light.

Flashing lights to warn northbound drivers that the traffic light at Rt 23 and Rathmell is about to turn red are greatly needed.  While this light would not stop human error it is possible that at least one distracted driver would look up and see this warning and know to slow down which could prevent them from colliding with a stopped vehicle or, at the very least, cause an impact at a much lower speed.   Does ODOT believe the cost of installing and operating a warning sight outweighs the cost of the time spent by first responders attempting to save lives during the high number of crashes?  If one life can be sparred by the installation of such lights then isn’t the cost obsolete?   

Just this morning (April 24, 2015) an individual was critically injured at this intersection. There was a multi-vehicle crash that occurred during the morning commute. I don’t know this person and I’ve probably never crossed their path.  They would be a nameless, faceless citizen of earth much like the rest of the population but they were someone’s family, someone’s friend, someone who was loved.  They are not collateral damage for the fact that ODOT cannot figure out how to remedy the dangerous nature of this intersection.  They are a person with value and their life is worth more than the cost of studies, of surveying and of preventive measures.  I could not say for sure that the installation of a warning light might have prevented this accident.  Maybe the at fault driver was too distracted and wouldn't have seen the flashing lights as he approached but maybe, just maybe, he would have and even if there was still an impact, he may have had enough time to decrease his speed enough to prevent the carnage that occurred.

No one gets up, gets ready and goes to work with the thought in their mind that today may be the day that they die due to the negligence of another but in reality that is the risk that occurs every day to each and every one of us.  I’m urging ODOT and Franklin County to be proactive in finding ways to protect drivers at this intersection.  You may not be able to prevent human error in distracted drivers but you are able to potentially help save one life, two lives, a dozen lives over the course of time and I would think that should be a priority for anyone.