(ONN) – Ohio Department of Transportation vehicles were hit 56 times by drivers on the roadways in 2023, which is a sharp drop from previous years.

ODOT’s Matt Bruning says that number was at 135 in 2022, and 154 in 2021.

Bruning believes the crashes are most often caused by drivers who are either distracted or impaired.

He says there may be several contributing factors to the downward trend in 2023.

Those factors include the new hands-free driving law, more awareness of the move over law, and last year’s mild winter meant fewer plows were out.