Drivers who routinely ply Route 222 South have expressed concern about the off ramp that leads cars to the merge point with Route 30 West in Manheim Township.

They've seen cars ditched all over the place — either in the grassy basin between routes 222 and 30, or along the right-hand shoulder of the merge lanes near the Oregon Pike exit off Route 30.

Just to check things out, The Watchdog has been driving this stretch of roadway the past three weeks and has come to the bottom-line conclusion that this stretch of roadway is a mess (as are many of the drivers who travel this route daily).

First, the PennDOT statistics:

In 2010 (the latest year available), 10 "reportable" crashes occurred at the ramp. Three involved minor injuries, two resulted in "moderate" injuries, and the rest involved property damage only.

In the past four years, (2007-10) 22 crashes were reported at this merge point.

PennDOT keeps records only of "reportable" accidents, which, according to spokesman Greg Penny, are "crashes in which someone has been hurt or killed or in which a vehicle was so damaged that it had to be towed away."

He added that PennDOT statistics don't include "fender benders" in which people exchange information and drive away.

So a driver who slides off the road into that grassy basin between routes 222 and 30 and manages to find his own way out doesn't count as a "crash" as far as PennDOT is concerned.

Which means there's a lot more going on here than the numbers show.

Another key statistic to note, Penny said, is the number of crashes that fall under the heading of "hit fixed object." More than half (six of 10) fall into that category in 2010, as do nine of the 12 reported crashes between 2007 and 2009.

"From what I understand, motorists are approaching and driving on the ramp at too high a speed, and are going off the road to hit the ditch, chevrons, guiderail or light standards," Penny explained via email.

Over the past 14 days, The Watchdog, who normally travels Route 222 once a week, put his life and that of his four-legged companion in jeopardy and made 10 trips up and down Route 222 at various times of the day. Here are some basic conclusions from that research:

• People drive like knuckleheads on Route 222 (and elsewhere, for that matter. But that's for another day).

• Those signs on Route 222 South announcing the end of the 65 mph limit and the beginning of the 55 mph limit are a waste of aluminum. No one pays any attention to them.

• The ramp off 222 South onto Route 30 doesn't seem particularly worn, but it is not banked nearly as high as the ramp leading from Route 30 East onto 222 North.

• Nine times out of 10, if you actually slow down to 35 mph on the ramp from 222 South to Route 30, somebody's going to be all over your rear bumper.

So much for empirical evidence. Now, from people who deal with this on a daily basis:

Trooper Anthony Thomas, state police spokesman, was very diplomatic in stating, "These days, people are rushed. People are always trying to get somewhere fast."

This, Thomas said is a problem in many parts of Lancaster County, but even more so on this stretch of road.

"The whole thing is a little tricky for people who live here," he said of the Route 222 ramp and subsequent merge processes with routes 272, 501, the Fruitville Pike and Route 283. "For inexperienced drivers or tourists who are just visiting here, it's even more frustrating," he said.

Complicating the issue, Thomas said, is the fact that these routes regularly experience heavy traffic.

A tow truck driver, who frequents Route 222 and wished to remain anonymous, echoed the trooper's concerns.

"People don't care about other drivers anymore," he said. "Everyone's in a hurry, and they're not aware of road conditions.

"People who drive Route 222 South every day hit that ramp at the same speed," he said. "So even when it's raining, they figure, 'Oh, I made it OK yesterday at 55, so why not now?' Except the road is wet, and they end up in the ditch."

Trooper Thomas reiterated that the entire stretch of both east- and west-bound Route 30 in the area between routes 283 and 23 is problematic.

"People coming off Route 222 South are trying to get onto the Oregon Pike, Lititz Pike, Route 30 West or Route 283 West, and there are four lanes to negotiate," he said. "And people driving east on Route 30 are trying to get onto Route 222 North, and dealing with people coming off the Oregon Pike can be even worse."

This situation only gets worse during holidays, and Thomas asked people to be even more aware of other drivers during the Thanksgiving holidays.

The bottom line, according to Trooper Thomas: "If people would only slow down and show some courtesy to other drivers, traffic would flow much more freely."

To which the cynical Watchdog replies, "Good luck with that."

csmedley@lnpnews.com