OSHP's Southington Post reports 495 OVI arrests in Trumbull County last year

SOUTHINGTON — The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Southington Post arrested 495 impaired drivers in Trumbull County in 2014 as part of the patrol’s ongoing effort to make roads safer.

For the third consecutive year, troopers removed more than 24,000 impaired drivers from Ohio roads, the patrol reports.

Operating a vehicle while intoxicated-related crashes accounted for 34 percent of all fatal crashes in Ohio in 2014, the same percentage as 2013.

There were 13,628 OVI-related crashes in the state, killing 340 and injuring 7,959 people. Speed was a contributing factor in 60 percent of them.

“We need motorists to commit to keeping our roads safe by planning ahead to designate a driver and insisting that everyone in the vehicle is buckled up,” said Lt. Brian Holt, Southington Post commander.