Will blinking stop signs prevent Toledo, Ohio car accidents?

The Ohio Department of Transportation, or ODOT, hopes that new, attention-grabbing signs will prevent car accidents, in turn reducing the number of personal injuries and wrongful deaths. Equipped with blinking LED lights, one such sign was installed at the intersection of Sylvania Ave. and Route 295 in October 2007. Earlier in March, a woman suffered wrongful death after a driver failed to see the previously unlit stop sign and did not stop, causing the fatal car accident. The only car accident at that intersection since installation occurred was when a car stopped then pulled out after not paying attention to cross traffic, according to the Toledo Blade.

These newly installed stop signs could prevent Toledo, Ohio car accidents. Seven signs with the bright, LED lights surrounding the perimeter have been put up in the northwest Ohio area, at intersections where stop signs have previously been missed or ignored, according to ODOT.

The lighted signs will hopefully give a driver advanced notice that a stop sign is looming in the distance, preparing them to make the stop. ODOT did point out, however, that some drivers treated these LED signs as a four-way stop, not realizing that cross traffic does not halt, resulting in car accidents. Our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys remind drivers to be careful when approaching any kind of stop sign, lit or unlit. Make sure that the intersection is clear before proceeding and let any other drivers know if you are going to attempt to cross by making eye contact or waving, in order to prevent a car accident.