1970 West Broad Street P.O. Box 182081 Columbus, Ohio 43218-2081 www.publicsafety.ohio.gov
Ted Strickland, Governor
S T A T E
O F
O H I O
Henry Guzmán, Director
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Lindsay Komlanc, Media Relations Director (614) 752-4325
August 29, 2007
Ohio Participates in National “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” Crackdown
Alcohol-related fatalities on the rise (COLUMBUS) – Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. While overall traffic fatalities for the state were down in 2006, alcohol-related deaths rose by 24 people, to 495 fatalities. Nationally, nearly 13,000 people died in alcohol-related highway crashes in 2005 (the most recent year for which national statistics are available). “Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk to yourself or others,” said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Henry Guzmán. “To make Ohio’s roads safer, law enforcement will be out in force to get more drunk drivers off the road and save lives that might otherwise be lost.” The Ohio State Highway Patrol and more than 870 additional law enforcement agencies across the state are joining thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation to take part in the “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” crackdown on impaired driving, which runs through Labor Day. The national “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” impaired driving crackdown is a prevention program organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness. Education and enforcement are part of ODPS’ approach to targeting high-risk behavior to make the roads safer for all motorists. Ohio has historically been a leader in highway safety, successfully targeting and working to reduce dangerous driving habits. Data from 2006 shows a 6.6 percent reduction in traffic fatalities and record high seatbelt usage of 82 percent. However, with alcohol related fatalities on the rise, ODPS will continue to target drinking and driving through outreach and education as well as enforcement. Alcohol-Related Crash Statistics from Ohio Department of Public Safety Crash Facts Book: • There were 16,082 crashes, 9,751 injuries and 495 deaths because of alcohol-related crashes. • Alcohol-related crashes resulted in a fatality just over 40 percent of the time. • Passenger vehicle drivers between the ages of 26 and 45 and motorcycle drivers between the ages of 26 and 55 accounted for the largest percentages of alcohol-related crashes. • People aged 26 and older represent 62 percent of people killed by alcohol-related crashes. • The months of April, June, July, August and October saw the largest number of alcohol-related crashes.
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