Located tantalizingly close to Lake Erie in northeastern Ohio, Geauga County derives its name from the Native American word for “raccoon.” This is not surprising considering the number of raccoons that inhabit the 408 square mile county that is home to over 90,000 residents. Of those 90,0000 some-odd residents, 79,339 live in the various townships located throughout the county.
Only 1,980 traffic accidents and 10 traffic-related fatalities were reported in Geauga County during 2007, as well as another 2,068 traffic accidents along with 10 more traffic-related fatalities in 2008. This makes Geauga County one of the safer counties in Ohio, though there are still a few dangerous statistics worth exploring more carefully.
The most noteworthy statistical anomalies related to traffic accidents tend to be those that come from the townships with the most accidents. In 2007, these townships included: Bainbridge with 263 total traffic accidents, Chester with 213, Munson with 200, and Newbury with 151 total traffic accidents on record. The Township of Bainbridge again topped the total traffic-accident statistic in Geauga County during 2008 with a total of 281 traffic accidents, followed again by Chester with 218, Munson with 195, Auburn with 160, and Newbury with 152 total traffic accidents.
What is interesting about these figures is not only the fact that many of the towns seem inclined to be dangerous for motorists during both 2007 and 2008, but the per capita figures. Chester is the most populous township in Geauga County with 10,968 residents and Bainbridge is not far behind with 10,916. If anything, these two townships should be on top of the traffic-related statistics due to their size alone, but Munson is home to only 6,450 residents, and Newbury only 5,805. This indicates that the larger townships in Geauga County are slightly safer on a per capita basis than the smaller townships, but the slightly small data sets could be throwing off an honest and meaningful measurement.
Middlefield also stands out as a particularly dangerous township in Geauga County because it witnessed 4 traffic-related fatalities in 2007, and another in 2008. For a township of just over 4,400 people, these figures are unexpectedly high. Again, it is worth cautioning that drawing grand conclusions from only two years of data is probably not advisable. Still, the Township of Middlefield does stand out during both years. Additionally, the Township of Middlefield recorded 6 alcohol-related traffic accidents in 2007 and another 4 in 2008. Considering that there were only 118 alcohol-related traffic accidents on record in all of Geauga County during 2007, and 121 in 2008, these statistics do not show Middlefield in the best of lights.
The Township of Burton does seem to stand out as a relatively safe place for the motorists in Geauga County. During 2007, Burton recorded only 113 traffic accidents that resulted in only 28 injuries. A similar 110 total crashes and 26 injuries in 2008 were also recorded in the Township of Burton, which makes it a beacon for road safety in Geauga County. Given its population of 4,368, it is reasonable to conclude that two years of statistics that are remarkably similar are probably trustworthy and not a statistical anomaly.
If you’ve been seriously injured or have lost a loved one in a Bainbridge Township, Chester Township, or Munson Township truck / car accident, call the Geauga County auto accident and wrongful death attorneys / lawyers 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.