General Headquarters — Columbus, Ohio

For Immediate Release: September 5, 2006
Contact: Lt. Tony Bradshaw (614) 752-2792

Ohio State Highway Patrol Reports Safer Labor Day weekend

Troopers also arrested over 700 people for OVI this weekend alone in what federal officials have called one of the largest national crackdowns on impaired drivers.

A daily tally of impaired driver arrests, as well as alcohol-involved crashes was made available to the public at www.statepatrol.ohio.gov this Labor Day. The Patrol’s efforts were 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).

Each year, 50,000 Ohioans are convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs and alcohol (OVI). The most dangerous drivers are considered “habitual” offenders, who have received five or more OVI convictions in their lifetime. Currently, there are 33,000 habitual offenders in Ohio.

Last week, the Patrol released a report supporting national studies estimating as many as one in four drivers during certain times of the night have been drinking. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Ohio have increased 26 percent over the last five years. The report showed:

• Alcohol-related traffic crashes affect every county in the state.
• The severity of alcohol-related traffic crashes is on the rise.
• Nearly one-third of the impaired driver threat is concentrated in just six of the heavily traveled metropolitan areas of Ohio.

The Patrol stressed that final numbers won’t be reported until all agencies submit crash reports. In some cases, agencies hold serious injury crashes pending the outcome of medical treatment or coroner’s reports.

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