“Our priority is making Ohio’s roads safe for everyone. Troopers remain dedicated to removing impaired drivers from our roadways and educating motorists of the dangers it presents,” said Lt. Christina Hayes, Commander of the Springfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “If you do drink, plan ahead, use ride share or have a sober friend or family member drive you. One fatal crash is one too many. Any fatality is a tragedy that is someone’s family member.”
Clark County law enforcement will be participating in the campaign with officers working together during the holiday weekend to help take drunk drivers off the roads.
Many Americans use the Labor Day holiday weekend as the unofficial end of summertime, officials said. During the 2023 Labor Day holiday, there were 23 crash fatalities in Ohio, with 68.5% (16) being OVI-related and 60.4% (14) being drug-related.
Impaired driving remains one of the deadliest crimes, health district officials said. There have been 348 OVI arrests in Clark County so far in 2024, 10 OVI fatalities so far in 2024, 121 crashes involving OVI variables and 102 alcohol-related crash variables.
According to AAA, studies found most alcohol impaired crashes happen in the evening and weekends, and drug impaired crashed been been happening during the daytime and rush hour.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a national high-visibility enforcement campaign that focuses on the consequences of drunk driving and is supported by increased law enforcement. This annual awareness and enforcement initiative runs Aug. 14 through Sept. 2.
About the Author
