CLEVELAND — More than 600 people walking or on bikes were hit by cars in the city of Cleveland last year, according to a new report released by the nonprofit Bike Cleveland.

What You Need To Know

  • The report shows just a fraction of accidents that happen as many go unreported for a variety of reasons

  • Last year's total is a jump from 2023 and 2022

  • Bike Cleveland made a variety of recommendations to both the city and residents

The report analyzed data from City of Cleveland’s Open Data Portal, which reports all 911 calls, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which stores OH-1 reports. Those reports include details of an incident, such as how it occurred and who was involved. 

The report does note that the incidents recorded are only a fraction of all crashes, as many crashes may not receive a formal OH-1 report. Reasons could be that parties were gone by the time first responders arrived, some people don’t wish to speak to law enforcement or they don’t know how to file a report after the crash.

Additionally, the report cites that there has been a severe issue with under-reporting when looking at hospital records compared to police records.

Here’s what the data shows:

Of the reports, 603 cyclists and pedestrians were hit by cars in the city last year. The study also shows fatal crashes are on the rise, with 75 people killed in crashes last year, a jump from 59 in 2023 and 43 in 2022.

Among the people killed last year, 15 were people walking or biking, which is an increase from nine in 2023 and 10 in 2022.

“Over 600 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists is unacceptable,” said Jenna Thomas, Bike Cleveland advocacy director. “And we know this figure is likely an undercount, because many crashes go unreported. The data we do have paints a clear picture: Cleveland must act swiftly to build a transportation system that prioritizes people over cars and safety over convenience.”

Among the 600 people hit walking or biking, 102 of them were children, the report states.

The report also highlights the City of Cleveland’s goal called “Vision Zero,” which is a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2032. Bike Cleveland said because of the increase of incidents year over year, the city is “not on track to meet that goal.”

Bike Cleveland gave the city a handful of recommendations, including:

  • “Connect with frontline police officers to discuss fault, bias, and the importance of consistency in OH-1 crash reports.
  • Establish a multi-disciplinary fatality review committee consisting of city planners, engineers, police, and safety advocates to conduct exhaustive reviews of fatal & serious injury crashes to recommend and implement quick-build safety interventions.
  • Create a system to collect reports from all police departments operating in the City of Cleveland.
  • Create a system for reporting crashes and near-misses without calling the police or EMS to promote accurate data collection.
  • Utilize council discretionary funds to make quick-build safety improvements including curb extensions, speed tables, centerline hardening and more.”

As for residents, Bike Cleveland encourages people to take part in the Northeast Ohio Families for Safe Streets Initiative. It’s a group for people who have lost loved ones or who were injured in a crash because of reckless driving. More information can be found here.

Additionally, residents can join a Better Streets Committee in their neighborhood. More information about those can be found here.