LET’S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

Columbus – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is encouraging drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel impaired this weekend in an effort to have a holiday weekend free of impaired-fatal crashes.

Memorial Day is traditionally a dangerous holiday period on Ohio roads, particularly for impaired driving crashes. Last Memorial Day holiday, five of the 11 people killed on Ohio roadways were involved in alcohol-related crashes.

“Each day, over two million miles are driven by impaired motorists and their poor choices severely threaten the well-being of every citizen in the state,” Colonel Richard H. Collins, superintendent of the Patrol, said. “Fatalities caused by impaired drivers are indeed a national tragedy - and that makes them a potential tragedy for each of us.”

Last year the Patrol made 25,520 OVI arrests including 652 during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The Patrol’s efforts are being conducted in conjunction with a national effort to reduce impaired driving incidents and crashes. Increased and specialized enforcement is made possible through federal overtime funding and works in conjunction with Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort).

Motorists should also be reminded that wearing a safety belt is the single most effective tool in reducing injuries and deaths in crashes caused by impaired drivers. This message is part of the national Click It or Ticket safety belt mobilization coordinated by the Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office.

Troopers encourage the public to continue using 1-877-7-PATROL to report dangerous drivers or stranded motorists, or 1-800-GRAB DUI to report impaired drivers.