Stepped up DUI enforcement planned

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS – As the end of summertime and the busy Labor Day weekend approaches, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) are working alongside law enforcement in all 88 Ohio counties to decrease impaired driving. From Friday, August 19 through Monday, September 5, Ohioans will see an increase in DUI enforcement during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement period.

Ohio law enforcement takes drinking and driving seriously because the consequences can be deadly:

• In 2021, 12 people in Ohio died in motor vehicle crashes over the four-day Labor Day holiday period.
• 25 percent of those fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
• With many Labor Day festivities wrapping up late in the evening, nighttime hours are especially dangerous. Last year, five percent of Ohio’s alcohol-related crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend occurred between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

“We’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking,” said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Tom Stickrath, who serves as the chair of the Ohio Traffic Safety Council. “Drunk driving is not only illegal, but it is also a matter of life and death. It’s important that our drivers partner with law enforcement to protect everyone on our roads this Labor Day and every day.”

Even if a person plans on having just one alcoholic beverage, the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) recommends celebrating the holiday with a safety plan in place:

• Designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely. It could save you $10,000 on a DUI in bail, court costs, legal fees, fines, and other related expenses.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, report them to OSHP by calling #677 or contact your local law enforcement agency by calling 911.
• Wear a seatbelt at all times. It is the best line of protection against drunk drivers.
  

Police officers, sheriff’s deputies and OSHP troopers will be highly visible and cracking down on impaired drivers through the use of zero-tolerance enforcement, sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.