Traffic fatalities decrease in Ohio, increase in Mahoning in 2011

Traffic fatalities decrease in Ohio, increase in Mahoning in 2011

Staff and wire report

COLUMBUS

Preliminary data show the number of people killed on Ohio roadways decreased slightly in 2011 compared with the previous year.

In the Mahoning Valley, traffic fatalities increased substantially in Mahoning and Columbiana counties but fell significantly in Trumbull County.

The State Highway Patrol says there were 970 confirmed fatalities during the past year and 49 more deaths that have not yet been confirmed as traffic fatalities, making the possible total 1,019. That’s down from 1,080 traffic fatalities in 2010 and 1,022 in 2009.

According to patrol data: Mahoning County recorded 25 fatalities in 2011 compared with 19 in 2010.

Trumbull County recorded 17 fatalities compared with 27 in 2010.

Columbiana County recorded 12 fatalities compared with seven in 2010.

The patrol says it sees a correlation between the decrease in deaths and its stepped-up enforcement targeting impaired drivers. Troopers made more than 23,000 arrests in 2011 for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. That’s over 1,500 more OVI arrests than in 2010.