With nearly 47,000 residents, Auglaize County is only moderately populated. Located in the western portion of Ohio, and is named after the river that flows through the county. There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of the river and county name, with one side believing that the word is a slurred pronunciation of the French words for clay and water. Others believe it to be derived from a Native American tongue that would translate roughly as “fallen timbers.” Wapakoneta is the county seat for Auglaize County, but is otherwise unremarkable from the standpoint of traffic accidents.
There are only two townships with Auglaize County to have a population that measures in the five figure range, Duchouquet and Saint Marys, with 14,329 and 11,600 respectively. Given the fact that these two townships combined account for over half the population of Auglaize County, it would be reasonable to posit that they would also account for half of the annual traffic accidents. This was not the case in 2007, when 177 automobile accidents occurred in the Township of Duchouquet and only 80 were reported in the Township of St Marys. Compared to 717 total automobile accidents reported in Auglaize County during 2007, the combined total of the two largest population centers barley comprises 35.8% of all traffic accidents in 2007.
A grand total of 740 traffic accidents occurred in Auglaize County during 2008, 186 of which happened to be occur within the Township of Duchouquet and another 96 within the confines of St Marys. Again, with more than half the population residing within these two larger townships, it is impressive that barely 38% of all traffic accidents occurred in these same areas. Even more impressive is the fact that only one of the four fatal car accidents in 2008 happened in Duchouquet and none happened in St Marys. 2007 saw a total of 8 traffic fatalities in Auglaize County, three of which occurred in Duchouquet, but none within the Township of St Marys.
On the surface, it would seem safe to suggest that the Township of St Marys was one of the safest population centers in Auglaize County for motorists. Unfortunately, dealing with such small numbers makes such suggestions difficult without little more historical context than just two years. The alcohol-related statistics do seem to bear this assumption out, with only 4 alcohol related traffic incidents being recording in St Marys in 2008 and eight in 2007.
Surprisingly, the Township of Moulton has the most alcohol-related crashes on record in 2007 with a grand total of five. Other townships in Auglaize County to report alcohol related traffic accidents in 2007 include: Duchouquet (4), Noble (3), Pusheta (2), Union (2), Wayne (2), Clay (1), German (1), Goshen (1), Jackson (1), Logan (1), and Salem (1). 2008 saw Duchouquet record a total of six alcohol-related traffic accidents as well as the following: Moulton (4), Union (4), Noble (2), Pusheta (2), Clay (1), Jackson (1), Wayne (1), and Goshen (1). Only Goshen reported a traffic fatality related to alcohol in 2008, and Moulton was the only township to report such a fatality in 2007. Overall, the drinking and driving statistics in Auglaize County are well within expectations, and perhaps even on the low side of the spectrum.
If you’ve been injured in a Wapakoneta, Duchouquet, or Saint Marys car crash, call the Auglaize County auto accident attorneys at Chester Law Group at 800-218-4243 or order your FREE BOOK entitled The Insider’s Guide to Handling Ohio Accident Claims at www.ChesterLaw.com.