In Ohio, Patrol Report Shows Growing Threat Of Impaired Drivers

COLUMBUS – Lending evidence to national estimates that indicate as many as one in four drivers during certain times of the night have been drinking, a new report released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol found that Ohio alcohol-related traffic fatalities have increased 26 percent over the last five years.

Additionally the report concluded that:

• Alcohol-related traffic crashes affect every county in the state.
• The severity of alcohol-related traffic crashes is on the rise.
• Nearly one-third of the impaired driver threat is concentrated in just six of the heavily traveled metropolitan areas of Ohio.

Overall, 12 Ohio counties recorded 1,000 or more alcohol-related traffic injuries over the last five years. A significant number of alcohol-related traffic crashes occurred in Ohio’s six large metropolitan counties, including Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, and Summit. Cuyahoga has led the state in alcohol-related traffic crashes (7,431), followed by Franklin (6,903) and Hamilton (5,507) counties.

Each year, 50,000 Ohioans are convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs and/ or alcohol (OVI). The most dangerous drivers are considered “habitual” offenders, who have received five or more OVI convictions in their lifetime. Currently, there are 33,000 habitual offenders in Ohio.