{"id":199454,"date":"2025-11-13T21:48:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T02:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=199454"},"modified":"2025-11-14T22:14:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T03:14:35","slug":"state-officials-safe-driving-will-help-continuing-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/state-officials-safe-driving-will-help-continuing-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe driving will help continuing trend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Ohio Traffic Safety Office are asking motorists to make safe driving a top priority this holiday season to ensure Ohio hits its goal of four straight years of declining traffic fatalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there had been a rise in traffic deaths from 2018 to a peak of 1,356 in 2021, Ohio has seen a reduction over the last three years. In 2024 there were 1,157 people killed on Ohio roads, down from 1,242 in 2023 and 1,275 in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n

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State safety officials are urging drivers to be extra cautious on Ohio’s roadways during the upcoming holiday season. ODOT photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, current crash data shows traffic deaths in 2025 are tracking closely with last year\u2019s pace, prompting state agencies to launch a year-end enforcement and education blitz focused on the behaviors that most often lead to deadly crashes \u2014 distraction, impairment, lack of seat belt use, and speeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of November 13, there have been 976 lives lost on Ohio roads compared to 1,029 at the same point in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made tremendous progress in saving lives on Ohio roadways, but we can\u2019t afford to let up now,\u201d said Governor Mike DeWine. \u201cEvery driver plays a role in keeping this positive trend going by staying alert, slowing down, and always buckling up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased funding for ODOT\u2019s Highway Safety Improvement Program has vaulted the program to one of the largest in the nation and helped fund projects that target top crash locations and deadly crash types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith record investments in roadway safety, engineering can only go so far. We need drivers to take responsibility and do their part to make safe decisions behind the wheel,\u201d said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that speed, impairment, and failure to wear a seat belt remain factors in the majority of fatal crashes. Troopers and will increase visibility and enforcement through the end of the year to remind motorists that safe driving saves lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur message is simple: We want everyone to make it home for the holidays and enjoy time together,\u201d said Colonel Charles A. Jones, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. \u201cPut the phone away, buckle up, drive sober, and make the safe choice every time you get behind the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, 43 percent of traffic deaths were a result of a crash that involved drugs, 34 percent of those killed chose not to wear a seatbelt, 32 percent involved alcohol impairment, and 30 percent were from crashes involving excessive speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ohio Traffic Safety Office is supporting the statewide effort through targeted safety messaging and community outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOhio is close to achieving a fourth straight year of declining traffic fatalities \u2013 a milestone made possible by the everyday choices Ohioans make behind the wheel,\u201d said OTSO Director Emily Davidson. \u201cSimple, safe decisions like buckling up, slowing down, and staying focused while driving can make all the difference. These small actions add up and help ensure more loved ones make it home to share in their holiday celebrations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the holiday travel season approaching, Ohio\u2019s traffic safety partners urge all drivers to do their part to make sure 2025 ends as another year of progress \u2014 not tragedy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VW independent staff\/submitted information COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Ohio Traffic Safety Office are asking motorists to make safe driving a top priority this holiday season to ensure Ohio hits its goal of four straight years of declining traffic fatalities. While there had been a rise in traffic deaths […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 23:39:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199454"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":199523,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199454\/revisions\/199523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}