One of Ohio’s most common stigmas is that our drivers are amongst the worst in the nation.

And while data shows that the state’s motor vehicle deaths per capita are relatively low compared to the rest of the country, the empirical issue stems from a gradual increase in vehicular violence since 2013.

Ohio politicians have acknowledged the issue and taken measures to combat it. Stricter Penalties for Operating a Vehicle Intoxicated (OVI) law violations have been established. Over the past year, the Public Utilities Commission and the Ohio Highway Patrol have increased enforcement. And in 2023, holding or physically supporting an electronic device while driving became illegal.

While each hasn’t worsened the problem per se, they can’t be mistaken for progressive policy initiatives. Statistics have remained stagnant because of one major reason: car dependency.

Ohio politicians continue to decline expansions of public transit across the state, but data suggests that this leads to significantly lower vehicular violence rates in regions with robust systems. Take the Northeast, for example. Collectively, the area is the safest to drive within the United States and, as no coincidence, also has the most expensive regional/local train systems.

When cheaper, more reliable alternatives exist, more people get off the road, regardless of whether they’re competent at driving. An even greater example of this lies across the Atlantic.

Think of the last time you and your family visited France or Spain. The lack of expansive roadways within the inner cities makes taking the train or even walking a necessity. And while getting adjusted to a more physically taxing and sometimes time-consuming commute may be off-putting at first for the average Ohioan, it has led to substantially fewer injuries and casualties in Europe.

Putting the most immediate problem of road safety aside, there’s a plethora of other advantages as well. The more people have the option to take the train or walk to work or school, the more active and social a city becomes. Creating a robust system would help in tackling the rising rates of obesity and the mental health crisis, which has largely been caused by increased isolation in all aspects of daily life, especially daily commutes.

Robust city and statewide public transit would also combat the growing cost-of-living crisis. Those who choose to take a train or bus, who tend to be lower-income citizens anyway, will be able to save thousands per month on car maintenance, insurance payments, gas prices and other essential automobile services that serve as a mandatory tax on basic travel. The cost of rent, groceries and other necessities has continued to rise while the average worker's wages haven’t kept up. The job of city and state governments is to alleviate these types of burdens in the best way they can.

Then there is arguably the most important long-term upside: the benefits to the climate. The constant expansion of highways and the lack of alternative transit projects have played a major role in why the United States is third in carbon emissions per capita amongst OECD nations, and the state of Ohio isn’t anywhere close to being innocent in this case. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the state emitted 22.1 metric tons per capita in 2022, almost 8 more than the national average. Our car-dependent infrastructure, filled with endless black tar driveways and minimal EVs per capita, has played a large role in this, but things don’t have to be this way.

If we commit ourselves to building/expanding rail systems in our cities and across the state, we can not only curb emissions but create a model for our other midwestern neighbors.

Ohio politicians constantly fearmonger over the state's budget, but when it comes to policing, the problem is immediately superseded by the “need” for more law enforcement, even during a period where crime is declining. Our climate, disposable incomes, and travel safety are just as if not more important than, the 22nd most dangerous job in America. We have the capacity for adequate public transit across the state, and we can do better.

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Micah Grayson is an incoming Sophomore at St. John’s University (NY) studying Political Science and Journalism. He is the Assistant Opinion Editor of The Torch, the Student Newspaper of St. John’s University.