Deputies stepping up local patrols

Submitted information

 The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, as part of a safety grant through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, will have increased patrols over the next couple of weeks as part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign.

Deputies will be enforcing all traffic laws over this two-week span, with an emphasis on speeding, reckless driving, and seat-belt usage.

Wearing your seat belt is the single most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in the event of a collision. Both drivers and passengers who use their seatbelt are 45 percent less likely to die and 50 percent less likely to be moderately injured in a collision, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sheriff Tom Riggenbach said as a friendly reminder, as the weather continues to get warmer, keep an extra eye out for motorcycles on the roadway. Please take time to look twice.