Memorial Day 2024: Ohio State Highway Patrol steps up holiday weekend patrols
Memorial Day weekend starts on Friday for many people.
If you’re one of them, then you might already know what thousands of Ohio motorists will learn this weekend — the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be a major presence on the roads during Memorial Day weekend.
Starting at midnight on Friday through 11:59 p.m. on May 27 (Memorial Day), OSHP troopers plan to be “highly visible on Ohio’s roadways promoting traffic safety,” according to a release on the OSHP website.
Troopers remind motorists to designate a sober driver and wear safety belts.
Memorial Day 2023 saw 24 fatal crashes in Ohio that killed 26 people. Of those, 18 crashes and 19 fatalities were OVI related, and 11 of the people who died in OVI-related crashes were not wearing seatbelts, per the OSHP release.
Troopers made 399 impaired driving arrests last Memorial Day weekend, the release stated.
In an effort to curb impaired driving, Summit County will be conducting sobriety checkpoints Friday overnight into early Saturday morning, according to Fox 8.
More: How do cops catch people violating Ohio's new distracted driving law?
The Highway Patrol will also focus on safety belt use over the Memorial Day weekend as part of the inter-agency 6-State Trooper Project. Along with the OSHP, the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and West Virginia State Police started the initiative on May 20 and will continue it through May 27.
Motorists can help keep roadways safe by calling #677 to report unsafe, dangerous or impaired driving and drug activity to the OSHP.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio State Highway Patrol steps up Memorial Day weekend patrols
