COLUMBUS – A daily tally of fatalities, impaired driver arrests and alcohol-involved crashes will be made available to the public at http://www.statepatrol.ohio.gov this Labor Day weekend as Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers work toward a weekend free of impaired-fatal crashes.

“The Ohio Department of Public Safety wants everyone to have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend,” said ODPS Director Henry Guzmán. “Whether you will be traveling long distances or staying close to home, everyone can do their part by buckling up, not mixing drinking and driving and paying attention to the road.”

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).

“Each day, impaired motorists drive more than two million miles, 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.”

Labor Day is traditionally a dangerous holiday on Ohio roads, particularly for impaired driving crashes. Last Labor Day holiday in Ohio, seven of the 14 people killed were involved in alcohol-related crashes. For a full 2006 Labor Day crash statistics report and OVI-related enforcement map click here.

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 more than 33,000 habitual offenders in Ohio.

Previous research conducted by Harvard University economists found that every weekday night from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., one in seven motorists had been drinking, with the peak hours for drinking and driving occurring between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., when the rate changes to one in four drivers.

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.

2006 Labor Day crash statistics report and OVI-related enforcement map

 

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Note to editors: The Patrol’s Web site Labor Day tally will be updated by 10:00 a.m. everyday beginning on Saturday and ending Monday at www.statepatrol.ohio.gov. Media ride-alongs with troopers can be scheduled in advance by contacting the Public Affairs Unit at 614-752-2792 or after hours at 614-466-2660.

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