Springtime and the Easter season rise as prime time for renewal and improvement on personal, spiritual and even practical fronts. Nowhere will that renewal be more visible than on the streets and highways of the Mahoning Valley through the spring and summer work-zone seasons.

But with so much-anticipated renewal to many of our congested and potholed thoroughfares also comes the increased potential for life-threatening danger.

Even without the added hazards of large numbers of road-work zones for motorists, 2025 thus far has shaped up to be noteworthy for its spike in traffic crashes and fatalities in our region.

As of March 31, the Ohio State Highway Patrol had investigated 885 traffic crashes in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, according to an OSHP database. That figure represents a 16-percent spike over 2024 crash data. Each county also has witnessed more fatalities in the first quarter of this year compared with the first three months of 2024.

Now through fall, those hazards will only multiply as more than $150 million in Ohio Department of Transportation projects are in the works for Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Among upcoming projects are $60 million to reconstruct Interstate 680 in Youngstown, $8 million to improve and pave the busy Route 224 corridor in Boardman and ongoing work on the $21 million diverging-diamond interchange under construction at state routes 82 and 46 in Howland, plus an additional $7.2 million in upgrades to the nearby state Route 46 and Warren-Sharon Road intersection.

Many accidents over the next seven months of the year take place in such road-work zones and in areas where other vehicles sit idle on the side of the roadway.

That’s why cautious, careful and commonsensical driving must rule the road. And that’s why the Ohio Highway Patrol this month is stepping up its “Move Over, Slow Down” campaign to remind all motorists of the basics of the Move Over law in Ohio.

The law that was enacted in 2004 and expanded in 2009 requires all drivers to move over one traffic lane whenever approaching any vehicle with flashing or rotating lights parked on the roadside or in construction zones. If moving over is not possible due to traffic or weather conditions, motorists should slow down and proceed with extreme caution. Failure to do so could land drivers with a misdemeanor conviction and hefty fines.

Troopers from the Highway Patrol handed out more than 8,389 citations across Ohio last year for violating the “move over” law, according to the patrol’s database. Fines for such irresponsible driving generally are doubled in work zones. Troopers and other road-law enforcers should act just as aggressively this year in apprehending such careless motorists.

The dangers are many. Over the past five years, the patrol investigated 22,521 crashes in work zones, 94 of which were fatal, resulting in 104 deaths. In Mahoning and Trumbull counties alone, more than 700 work-zone crashes have been reported.

One of the major causes of crashes inside and outside of work zones on our highways remains distracted driving. Throughout April, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, motorists must be cognizant of the dangers of taking their hands, eyes or minds off the road. The state’s relatively new law that strengthens enforcement and penalties for distracted driving provide added incentives. And troopers are dead serious about apprehending such scofflaws. During the first three months of this year, the patrol issued 9,900 distracted driving citations, nearly double the number from the first quarter of 2024.

Clearly, the stakes are high. That’s why all motorists should follow these work-zone driving tips from the state patrol:

• Don’t speed. Obey reduced speed limits in work zones. It takes less than a minute to drive through a 2-mile work zone at 45 mph than at 65 mph. One of the most common causes of work-zone crashes is excessive speed.

• Don’t tailgate. Most accidents in work zones are rear-end collisions.

• Stay alert. Dedicate full attention to the roadway. The traffic pattern in a work zone may be shifted, and lanes may be closed.

Watch for orange work-zone directional signs, obey flaggers, and be aware of workers and equipment that may be moving in a lane near you.

By seriously following such sage advice, motorists can go far toward preventing a minor short-term inconvenience from morphing into a major long-term tragedy.