Ohio joins in impaired driver crackdown

ODPS information

COLUMBUS — This year, Ohio law enforcement agencies are joining thousands of other highway safety partners throughout the nation to take part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown on impaired driving. The enforcement blitz will run through Labor Day.

During the enforcement period, law enforcement partners have planned more than 6,500 enforcement hours and more than 1,700 hours of saturation patrols around the state.

“Law enforcement partners across the state will be out in full force to ensure people are making the right decisions on our roads,” said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Tom Charles. “Impaired driving is a serious matter, but the message is clear — drive sober or get pulled over.”

Law enforcement agencies from all jurisdictions have joined together to hold more than 34 checkpoints all over the state during this period. The checkpoints are planned for those areas with the highest numbers of alcohol-related deaths and injuries. They are designed to not only deter impaired driving, but to remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways.

“We can’t fight the battle against impaired driving on our own — we need your commitment to make our roads safer,” said Colonel John Born, Patrol superintendent. “You can contribute to a safer Ohio by actively influencing friends and family to make safe, responsible decisions — like planning ahead to designate a driver and insisting that everyone in the vehicle is buckled up.”

According to provisional data, 414 people died in 383 OVI-related crashes on Ohio’s roads in 2011. Impaired drivers were involved in 41 percent of all fatal traffic crashes.

The national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is a program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity. It is locally administered by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), which funds a majority of the enforcement hours through federal funds from NHTSA.