WASHINGTON — Federal investigators have concluded that a tractor-trailer driver did not have enough time to avoid a deadly 2024 crash at an Ohio Turnpike toll plaza, finding instead that an SUV driver’s abrupt deceleration and lane change into the truck’s path caused the collision while the toll plaza’s hybrid design created conditions that increased the danger.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced its findings Sept. 16 following its investigation of the Aug. 15, 2024 crash at the Swanton Township Toll Plaza on Interstate 80 near Swanton, Ohio. Two SUV passengers died, the SUV driver and another passenger were seriously injured, and the truck driver suffered serious injuries.
The NTSB specifically found that the truck driver’s licensing, experience, medical condition, fatigue, alcohol or tested drug use, cell-phone use, familiarity with the vehicle and route, and the motor carrier’s safety policies did not cause the crash.
That finding is significant because the collision involved a fully loaded commercial vehicle traveling through one of the Ohio Turnpike’s high-speed electronic toll lanes.
SUV slowed to less than 15 mph in front of truck traveling nearly 70 mph
According to the NTSB’s final investigation report, a 2015 Toyota Highlander was traveling east in the high-speed portion of the toll plaza when its driver attempted to move toward the low-speed manual toll lanes.
Vehicle data showed the SUV was traveling 43.5 mph and decelerating about 4.75 seconds before impact. By the time of the collision, the SUV had slowed to approximately 14.9 mph.
The 2019 Mack Anthem tractor-trailer behind it was traveling approximately 69.6 mph shortly before the collision.
Investigators concluded that the rapidly developing speed difference left the truck driver without sufficient time to slow or avoid the crash.
The tractor-trailer struck the left rear of the SUV, veered into a concrete barrier and overturned. The SUV also overturned before coming to rest beyond the toll lanes.
NTSB identifies SUV lane change as probable cause
The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the SUV driver’s deceleration and lane change across the path of the tractor-trailer.
Investigators also concluded that the SUV driver was experiencing reduced situational awareness, likely because of fatigue. The lack of signage explaining that missed tolls could be paid online contributed to the decision to attempt the lane change, according to the report.
The NTSB said the large speed differential contributed to the severity of the crash because the truck driver was given insufficient opportunity to react.
The agency separately found that proper seat-belt use likely would have reduced injuries, including at least one fatal injury. Three passengers in the SUV’s second row were not wearing seat belts and were ejected during the crash. The truck driver also told investigators he was not wearing his seat belt.
More than 1,000 dangerous lane changes recorded at same toll plaza
The investigation went beyond the actions of the two drivers.
NTSB investigators examined traffic behavior at the Swanton toll plaza and documented 1,099 similar last-minute lane changes during a three-week period, an average of approximately 52 per day.
Drivers were observed crossing the marked separation between the high-speed electronic toll lanes and the slower conventional toll lanes.
The Swanton plaza combines electronic toll lanes where traffic can continue at highway speed with adjacent lanes requiring motorists without E-ZPass to slow significantly and enter conventional toll booths.
The NTSB concluded that this type of hybrid configuration creates an inherent safety risk because vehicles traveling at dramatically different speeds are placed next to each other while some drivers make late decisions about which toll lane they need.
“This crash shows the deadly safety consequences of mixing high-speed electronic tolling with low-speed manual tolling lanes,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said.
NTSB wants Ohio to eliminate the low-speed toll lanes
The board is recommending that the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission permanently close its low-speed toll lanes and convert the affected toll plazas to fully electronic high-speed tolling.
The recommendations include changes at four Ohio Turnpike toll-plaza locations and a request that the commission provide the NTSB with a timetable for implementation.
The NTSB also recommended that the Federal Highway Administration update national standards and guidance for toll facilities, including better signage explaining electronic payment options and guidance outlining the safety benefits of fully electronic tolling.
These are NTSB safety recommendations. They are not themselves federal regulations and do not automatically require Ohio to eliminate its manual toll lanes.
Reuters separately reported Sept. 16 that the federal safety board is urging broader adoption of fully electronic tolling following the investigation.
Ohio had introduced the hybrid system only months before the crash
The Ohio Turnpike launched its modernized toll collection system in April 2024, approximately four months before the crash.
Under that system, E-ZPass customers can travel through designated open-road tolling lanes without stopping, while motorists without E-ZPass are directed into conventional cash and credit-card lanes where they must slow and stop.
The Swanton Toll Plaza at milepost 49 was one of the mainline locations created as part of that modernization project.
The NTSB now says that configuration contributed to circumstances that made this crash more likely.
Truck was carrying more than 24,000 pounds of hazardous materials
The tractor-trailer was carrying 41,687 pounds of cargo, including approximately 24,365 pounds of hazardous materials, according to the NTSB.
Those materials included methanol solution, acetone, toluene, liquid amines and sulfonic acids. The truck overturned after striking the barrier and some of the hazardous cargo spilled onto the roadway. No injuries were attributed to exposure to the released chemicals.
The NTSB determined that cargo securement did not cause the crash and did not contribute to the injuries.
Crash triggered two additional major collisions
The initial collision closed lanes while emergency crews responded to the wreck and hazardous-material spill, causing traffic to back up in both directions.
Approximately 25 minutes later, another collision involving five commercial motor vehicles and one passenger vehicle occurred in the eastbound traffic queue.
About 30 minutes after that, another multivehicle collision occurred in westbound traffic.
Those secondary crashes resulted in additional fatalities and injuries, although the NTSB said determining their individual causes was outside the scope of its primary investigation.
Federal investigators found no evidence the trucker was impaired or fatigued
The investigation is particularly relevant to professional drivers because the report examined numerous potential truck-driver and motor-carrier factors before ruling them out.
Investigators found no causal evidence involving the truck driver’s fatigue, medical condition, licensing, experience, alcohol or tested drug use, cellphone use, knowledge of the route or familiarity with the vehicle.
The NTSB similarly found no causal deficiencies in the motor carrier’s safety policies.
Instead, federal investigators concluded that the SUV entered the truck’s lane while rapidly slowing and that the truck driver did not have enough time to avoid the collision.
The findings shift much of the safety focus from the commercial driver to the toll-plaza design and the extreme speed differential created when motorists attempt last-second movements between high-speed and conventional toll lanes.
