OHIO — The Ohio State Highway Patrol said it will be out in full force for the Fourth of July to crack down on impaired drivers.
OSHP said it’ll have an increased presence for the holiday reporting period, which starts Monday, July 3 at 12 a.m. to Tuesday, July 4 at 11:59 p.m. It’s part of the national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which has zero tolerance for impaired motorists.
“Ohio has some of the country’s best Fourth of July celebrations and we want to make sure that these gatherings are safe for everyone,” said Gov. Mike DeWine.
According to OSHP, there were 16 fatal crashes that killed 16 people last year between July 1, 2022 and July 4, 2022. Eleven of those crashes and 11 of the fatalities involved drugs and/or alcohol. Data shows five people didn’t have their seatbelts on in seven of the fatalities that had seatbelts available.
Seven motorcyclists and two pedestrians were also killed.
“Too often our troopers see the tragic side of holiday celebrations,” said Col. Charles A. Jones, the patrol superintendent. “When you operate a vehicle impaired, you’re putting the lives of everyone on our roadways at risk.”
The Patrol also made 447 OVI arrests during the reporting period.
Roadways are expected to be busier than last year over the holiday weekend. AAA estimates 2.3 million Ohioans will travel 50 miles or more from home — a 4% increase from last year. Of them, 2.05 million will drive to their destination, which is a 3% increase from last year.
