Most people who drive through the intersection near the store are aware of the visibility issues when making turns at the intersection. A driver really needs to look both ways several times to be sure there is no approaching traffic before making a turn either direction onto Homer Road when coming from either direction of Ohio Route 661. One really needs to take a long, hard look also before entering the intersection from Homer Road after stopping at the stop sign.
This past weekend and the weekend before that, unsuspecting drivers were involved in traffic accidents at the intersection of Ohio Route 661 and Homer Road (County Road 19). Both accidents involved motorists making turns onto Homer Road from Ohio 661 and turning into the path of an oncoming vehicle approaching from the opposite direction on Ohio 661. This seems to be happening all too frequently, and most often on bright, sunny afternoons.
Ohio Route 661 is a two-lane, rural highway that runs between Granville (south of Homer) and Mount Vernon (north of Homer). There are traffic signs warning of the intersection and also speed limit signs that reduce the speed from 55 to 45 mph as motorists approach the intersection from either direction on Ohio 661. Also, there are "suggested speed limits" of 25 mph posted, although these cannot be enforced legally, they are a good idea for the defensive driver to observe. Motorists on Homer Road must stop at the intersection, but those traveling on Ohio 661 do not stop at the intersection (they are strongly urged to go much slower than the posted 45 mph speed limit).
Due to the slope and curvature of the roads at the intersection, it is not always possible to see a vehicle approaching the intersection from either direction on Ohio 661, depending on how far away the vehicle is. So if a motorist is making a turn from Ohio 661 onto Homer Road, they might slow down and glance at the oncoming lane and make a quick turn when it appears the coast is clear, when actually a vehicle is about to appear out of the dip in the road, leaving the motorist no reaction time to avoid a collision.
If possible, it is a good idea to stop at the intersection and wait until you actually see a vehicle, let it pass, and watch all the while to see if another vehicle becomes visible at the exact spot where you first could see the last approaching vehicle, before making your turn or entering the intersection. If there are cars behind you, at least use your turn signal far enough in advance and begin to watch the oncoming traffic so you will know when it is safe to make the turn. That way you can be sure whether or not a car is approaching but maybe not yet visible due to the slope and curvature of the Ohio Route 661. If the oncoming vehicle is going faster than the posted speed limit, it makes this situation even more dangerous as neither motorist has time to avoid the collision.
We who travel these roads frequently are hoping that the Ohio Department of Public Safety will do something more to improve the safety of the intersection before more people are injured or even killed. Over twenty years ago, after a fatality at the intersection, local residents petitioned the government to do something about the safety of the intersection. There was a construction project meant to overcome the issues of visibility by changing the slope of the road at the points where it was deemed to be problematic. I was not in this community at the time, but the locals tell me that the project was not completely successful and that it seems to have made the problem of visibility even worse than before the project.
We are still praying for the recovery of the four people injured last weekend at this intersection and for the peace and comfort of their families as they suffer through the ordeal of hospitalization of their loved ones. We also are praying for the motorist in the other car who was not injured but was cited for the accident (failing to yield). Our whole community is saddened by this unfortunate accident as well as the one the previous weekend involving a car and a motorcycle.
So, please come and go safely when you visit Homer! If you come to the store, please park in the parking lot near the white fences that are marked with signage for "Customer Parking Only". It is much safer to park there in the gravel parking area than to pull head-first up to the store building where your vehicle could be hit if there would happen to be a collision at the intersection.
Please never stop or park your vehicle along the berm of Ohio 661 because you will be obstructing the line of vision for those motorists trying to enter the intersection from the Homer Road stop sign on the corner next to the store. All of us in the community try to enforce this simple act of being a safe and courteous motorist. Please forgive me in advance as I will ask you to move your vehicle if you park along the berm for any reason. Please forgive me also as I strictly enforce "customer parking only" in the store's meager parking lot. We need plenty of room for the store's customers to maneuver safely in and out of the parking lot onto Ohio 661 or onto Homer Road. If you are not shopping in the store, your vehicle has no business in the parking lot. Period. Thanks for understanding. Please be safe, drive defensively, and don't be in a hurry!
