Traffic fatalities decline in Ohio

CLEVELAND (AP) — Ohio has seen a sharp drop in traffic accident deaths this year, in part because of stepped up highway enforcement in big cities and a drop in summer driving due to high gas prices, the State Highway Patrol said.

Car crashes killed 1,080 motorists in Ohio through Wednesday, and the state is on track for a record yearly low in 2008, said patrol spokesman Sgt. Darren Blosser. The previous low mark was 1,239 deaths in 2006.

“Motorists can breathe a little easier,” said AAA spokesman Brian Newbacher.

Ohio’s reduction of about 13 percent exceeded the national average of about 9 percent, said Col. Richard Collins, the patrol superintendent.

Other factors included air bags, driver education programs and advancements in trauma care, such as medical helicopters quickly reaching crash scenes, Collins said.

Alcohol-related traffic deaths also fell — down 10 percent in 2008 from 280 fatalities last year. Troopers arrested more than 24,000 drivers who had been drinking this year, Collins said.