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A driver in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash flipped their car after a cicada flew in through the open window and startled them. Police said the driver swerved, rolled the car, and somehow walked away without any injuries. The cicada, they said, “fled the scene,” though its fate is still a mystery.

The Blue Ash Police Department shared the story on Facebook and used it to remind drivers that cicadas are out in big numbers right now

They recommended keeping windows up while driving, at least until the season calms down. The warning comes as southern Ohio deals with one of the noisiest and most active cicada seasons in recent memory.

One local confirmed cicadas are indeed flying into Ohio cars: “We were driving home yesterday, windows up by the way, then my wife starts screaming like she just saw Michael Myers from Halloween coming after her. It was a cicada on her leg. I almost drove off the road from the scream, then from the laughter….”

Brood XIV is one of the largest 17-year cicada batches in the country

It covers much of the eastern United States and includes large portions of southern Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, Time shared. The last time this brood surfaced was in 2008. Unlike 2024’s double emergence of Broods XIX and XIII, this year only Brood XIV is making noise…but it’s more than enough to get attention.

Cicadas don’t bite or sting, but their timing and flight paths can create serious distractions, especially behind the wheel.

This isn’t the first time a cicada caused a crash in Cincinnati

In 2021, a driver hit a utility pole after one of the insects flew into their face while they were driving. That motorist also escaped without injury, CBS News said.

With the loud buzzing expected to continue for several more weeks, police say it’s best to keep your windows closed and your focus on the road. Cicadas may not mean any harm, but when they fly into your car at 40 mph, things can go sideways fast.