Springfield city officials received a first report on the effort at this week’s city commission meeting from Wilson, who is also the former Clark County prosecutor.
Wilson said the citations included 12 OVI arrests and the identification of three felony offenders. Additionally, OSHP staff investigated 33 crashes.
“We know through statistics that the 18 to 24-year-old demographic, no matter what the nationality, are our most dangerous drivers on the road. There’s no permit requirement, no requirement to learn while driving with a licensed driver. You can just go in and take the test and you’ll get your license,” Wilson said.
“There is an issue with the Haitian drivers, and when you talk with them, they understand that as well,” Wilson continued. “The problem is we just don’t have an adult driving curriculum for anyone. We’re working on that … and it will be for anybody who hasn’t had driver’s training.”
Wilson praised uniformed police and fire staff in Springfield who risk themselves to help others. He said he understood that they “really are stretched thin” dealing with normal call volume, while trying to enforce traffic laws.
“We wanted this effort to be data driven … we wanted to focus on areas where you were having crashes, having problems, Wilson said. “So we let data drive where our troopers are patrolling. This has to be 100% race neutral. We look at the violation. We don’t look at who is driving the car. If there’s a violation, we are going to address it.”
The focus was also on the violations that seemed to pose the biggest problems, such as speed, reckless driving and failure to yield or stop at stop signs.
Wilson said OSHP’s intervention on traffic cases “relieved pressure on your city police department and allowed them to be out responding to domestic violence calls and some of the other calls you have.”
Wilson indicated the state law enforcement presence in Springfield is continuing, with state funding covering the cost of the additional officers as part of the pledge Governor Mike Dewine made to help Springfield cope with stresses resulting from the city’s increased population.
Wilson said if current law is going to change, as far as requiring people over the age of 18 to take a driver’s training course, “we have to go to the general assembly,” Wilson explained.
Time behind the wheel with another licensed driver makes for a better driver, Wilson said. So the state is developing a driver mentor program to enable Ohio residents “to learn how to teach folks to drive, just like you taught your kid to drive.” The state is looking to partner with churches or organizations interested in developing the mentor program with community volunteers.
Wilson said the state budget also includes grants for new public driving schools because there are not enough available to serve new drivers. He reported that one new driving school has already been started in Clark County as a result of those grants.
“One of the barriers to driver’s education is the cost. Some kids just cant afford to pay $500 to $600 dollars, so they just don’t take it and they wait till they’re 18. … Governor DeWine’s budget also includes “Drive to Succeed” grants for low-income or at-need kids who just can’t afford to go to driver’s training, can get a supplement to help with the cost.”
In Clark County, the Drive to Succeed program is available to high school students through the Springfield Clark County Career Technology Center.
The money the state is putting into driver’s education is to keep all drivers safe on the road, Wilson said.
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