Highway Patrol Makes Bold Statement: Drive Impaired and We'll Get You

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is warning drivers: If you choose to drive impaired, you will be arrested.

Troopers have stepped up their focus on impaired driving enforcement in 2011, leading to 1,383 more drunken or impaired driving arrests this year than in 2010. 

As a result, accidents have gone down.

“We are seeing positive results from the hard work of our troopers on the road everyday removing impaired and dangerous drivers from the roadways,” Colonel John Born, Patrol superintendent, said in a news release. “As the Patrol’s OVI arrests increase, we are seeing a direct correlation in the decrease of overall fatalities.”

Impaired drivers were responsible for 40 percent of the fatal crashes in 2010. Through Dec. 11 of this year, with overall fatalities down 4 percent and drunken driving arrests up by 1,383, Ohio is experiencing a decline of nearly five percent in impaired-related fatalities.

Born urges everyone to help keep impaired drivers off the road. 

“We can’t fight the battle against impaired driving on our own – we need your commitment to make our roads safe,” Born said. 

With the upcoming holidays, the Patrol is reminding drivers that this can be one of the most dangerous times of the year due to an increase in impaired driving. Last year in Ohio, 39 people died in alcohol-related crashes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

The public can call 1-877-7-PATROL to report dangerous drivers, impaired drivers or stranded motorists.