Covering 426 square miles, only 2 of which are covered in water most of the year, Preble County is located along the western border of Ohio. The county takes its name from Commodore Edward Preble, a noted naval officer later a shipbuilder of some repute. The Township of Eaton is listed as the county seat for Preble County as well as its largest population center, but the Ohio Department of Public Safety counts it as a separate area where traffic is concerned. As a result, of the 42,337 residents that live in Preble County, only 34,204 are covered in the most recent reports issued by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Despite the relatively difficult driving conditions that residents in Ohio experience throughout a significant portion of the average year, Preble County is actually a safe place for motorists. At least, that is how the picture looked in 2007. According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, a grand total of only 698 traffic accidents were reported in Preble County during 2007, 6 of which proved fatal to one person each. 2008 saw another 834 traffic accidents go on the books of Preble County, as well as 17 total traffic related fatalities what were the result of 14 separate traffic accidents.
The nearly 20% increase in total traffic accidents on a year for year basis, as well as a near-explosion of traffic-related fatalities paint the picture of a county with multiple townships that all became more dangerous for one reason or another. Monroe and Jefferson were both tied for the most traffic accident prone township in Preble County, with 86 total traffic accidents on file during 2007. Other townships that reported a high number of overall traffic accidents during 2007 were: Harrison & Twin with 73 an identical traffic accidents each, Somers with 71, Gratis with 67, and Washington with 64 total traffic accidents.
2008 saw a very similar list, though there were a few startling increases worth looking at in more detail: Washington with 96 total traffic accidents, Gratis with 94, Harrison with 89, Twin with 88, Jefferson with 81, Lanier & Somers with an identical 70 traffic accidents each. The fact that almost all of those townships reported significant increases in overall traffic accidents is alarming, but there appears to be no hidden agenda, such as the reclassification of crimes into PDO crashes. Instead, it appears to be a clear cut case of a county simply becoming more dangerous for motorists year by year, though Preble County is still a reasonably safe place compared to its neighbors in Ohio.
It is also a little unsettling to see the comparatively small Township of Twin ranked so far up the list of dangerous townships during both years. With only 2,831 total residents, Twin is actually on the dangerous side of the spectrum for motorists in Preble County, if not Ohio in general. Of course, the 6 traffic-related fatalities that the Township of Gratis recorded during 2008 tend to paint that township’s streets as comparatively dangerous.
If you’ve been seriously injured or have lost a loved one in a Washington Township, Harrison Township, or Jefferson Township truck / car accident, call the Preble 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.