News

Actions

Battalion chief wants spike strips on highways

Posted at 6:52 PM, Feb 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-19 18:52:28-05

A Solon Fire Department battalion chief is fighting for changes on Ohio highways after a string of fatal wrong-way accidents.  

Battalion Chief Steve Nash told NewsChannel 5 he wants to see spike strips installed on exit ramps and areas prone to wrong-way accidents.

Nash said spike strips could prevent accidents and save lives. 

"If you drive over these spikes probably gonna flatten all four of your tires, so instead of driving a 3000 lb. missile down the highway at 60 or 70 miles per hour, you're either gonna be completely disabled or going 10 miles per hour at the most," Nash explained.

The most recent crash was just this past weekend. A 20-year-old college student was killed on her way to work.

Brooklyn police said 49-year-old Mark Rafter hit Kayla Coates going the wrong way on Interstate 480.

The Cuyahoga County prosecutor is still determining the charges Rafter will face. 

Nash said he knows he'll face challenges with this idea. One of the big ones? Cost.

Nash said whatever the cost is, it's worth it, because too many people have died.

"What's the cost of a life?" he said.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there were 131 wrong-way crashes in Ohio last year- two of them in Cuyahoga.