NEWSPAPER STAFF REPORT – In Ohio, the law regarding the placement of injurious materials on roadways is outlined in the Ohio Revised Code 4511.74. This law prohibits the placement or dropping of any materials that may damage or injure any person, vehicle, or animal traveling along or upon a highway, lane, road, street, or alley, with the exception of substances placed upon the roadway by proper authority for repair or construction purposes.
However, it’s important to note that while this law addresses injurious materials, it does not explicitly mention grass clippings. According to Sheriff Roy Miller of Fulton County, Ohio, the Ohio Revised Code 4511.74 does not specifically mention lawn clippings. He clarified that while the state law does not prohibit blowing grass clippings onto the street, municipalities and villages may have their own ordinances against this practice.
Sheriff Miller emphasized that the issue arises from the potential civil liability of homeowners if accidents occur due to grass clippings on the road. He cited a case where a lawsuit was brought against a homeowner due to a motorcycle accident allegedly caused by grass clippings in the road. Therefore, while there may not be a criminal conviction at the state level, homeowners should be aware of the potential civil liability associated with this practice.
Blowing grass clippings into the roadway can create a hazard for motorcycle riders, as the clippings may reduce traction and cause slippery conditions on the road. This poses a significant risk to motorcyclists, who are particularly vulnerable to loss of control or accidents caused by slippery surfaces. Therefore, it’s important for homeowners to consider these potential hazards and take measures to avoid creating unsafe conditions for all road users, including motorcyclists.
While Ohio state law does not explicitly prohibit blowing grass clippings onto the street, homeowners should be mindful of potential civil liability, local ordinances, and the hazards this practice may pose to all road users, especially motorcycle riders.
12 Comments
If I walk on street and slip on grass that has been put there from someone’s yard grass cutting, you bet I’m calling the ice cream man, and let him know to watch tf out, cause I need my ice cream. Of the the ice cream man dies because a little grass in the road, I’m suing, cause I didn’t get my ice cream.
Who else in my neighborhood actually cares about motorcyclists slipping on grass? I’m the only one sweeping up grass everytime I cut. My neighbors wait till there grass is over a foot tall to cut it and hire a kid who doesn’t have a leaf blower or any idea how to work a lawn mower for that matter. My whole block is a hazard if this is what you see as detrimental to a motorcycle. But I don’t see any tickets or citations given to anyone on the block. Joke. There is someone who parks within 10ft of the intersection and causes erroneous traffic patterns from the intersection everyday. No one gives a shat. So go ahead. Care about shat that you can’t control. How bout the litter that is dropped everyday on shady run? People eat their McDonald’s and dump their trash out their window. Hey I rolled a blunt, throw trash ate burger king? Throw trash, oh my baby shit their diaper? Throw it out the window. Idiots.
Along with the potential physical harm they can do if somebody slips, do not forget that they can also go down into the storm drainage system and can block the storm drains.
Let it also known that monthly shoulder mowing by state, county,township , and city are also liable then.
They need to enforce not just grass clippings but the littering that’s being done to our streets and roads. it’s ridiculous how hard is it to put a bag in your car to keep your trash in and then take it in your house and throw it away when you get home how hard is that..I think this is why……. No one wants to visit Ohio anymore. Just saying…… Sandy,
Don’t forget about us cyclists.
Thank you, from a biker, to this newspaper staff, for doing this piece and making the generally unaware public a little more educated on this subject. It is unfortunate that people aren’t told by anyone about just how dangerous grass or loose gravel is, when lying on a street to us bikers! We have so much else to watch for while we are enjoying our lifestyle the way we do .. We don’t need to have to also try to avoid hazards such as these
You must have nothing else to do. All the serious stuff happening around the world and grass clippings are what grinds your gears. Must be a sad life.
If you dont think that grass clippings are hazerdous in the road, I hope your neighbor plows you in this winter. Than you will see what were talking about,except you cant die from that. If this article saves one life,it was well worth it.!!!
This is why there are MANDATORY SPEED LIMITATIONS TO BE FOLLOWED UNDER THE PENALTY OF THE LAW!!! Do you know how fast you have to be going on a “motorcycle/speedbike whatever tf you want to call it” to have even a 1″ thick settling of fibrous debris affect the trajectory of that vehicle? Well over 50 miles an hour. Idk of any residential area or public roadway that entertains that in the entire state of OHIO!!! If that idiot slipped on DRY cut grass he doesn’t deserve to be driving. Fuck off with this article and journalist station. It’s absolute shit and completely disconnected from what the people are actually concerned about.
What’s next? Sprinkler systems too close to the road making it wet? Dare I say, shall we prevent rain from toucheth thy roads?
Always cleaning the road in the front of my house, it would be nice to have our roads cleaned especially after the winter debris, and of course we r also forgotten for snow plowing on the west side, south of Mahoning Ave.