Holiday weekend puts officials on DUI lookout

Call (800) GRAB-DUI to report impaired rivers.

staff report

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

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.

Memorial Day is traditionally a dangerous holiday period on Ohio roads, particularly for impaired driving crashes. Last Memorial Day holiday, six of the 12 people killed on Ohio roads were involved in alcohol-related crashes.

“Each day, over 2 million miles are driven by impaired motorists and their poor choices severely threaten the well-being of every citizen in the state,” Col. Richard H. Collins, patrol superintendent, said. “Fatalities caused by impaired drivers are indeed a national tragedy — and that makes them a potential tragedy for each of us.”

Last year the patrol made 24,730 impaired driving arrests including 694 during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Motorists should also be reminded that wearing a safety belt is the single most effective tool in reducing injuries and deaths in crashes caused by impaired drivers. This message is part of the national “Click It or Ticket” safety belt mobilization coordinated by the Department of Public Safety’s Governor’s Highway Safety Office.

Troopers encourage the public to continue using (877) 7-PATROL to report dangerous drivers or stranded motorists, or (800) GRAB-DUI to report impaired drivers.