The Ohio Highway Patrol says troopers will target impaired driving and seatbelt use this year after an increase in traffic deaths in 2017. The patrol says half of the nearly 12-hundred deaths involved alcohol, while a third involved unrestrained drivers or passengers. Authorities also report fewer traffic fatalities on Ohio roadways during the Christmas and New Year's holidays than last year. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
The State Highway Patrol says five crashes resulted in five deaths from December 22nd to Christmas Day. That’s less than half of the 14 deaths registered in the same window in 2016. This New Year holiday was also safer. The patrol reports three people died from December 29th to New Year's Day. Last year, six people lost their lives during that same period. Troopers also arrested 292 motorists for drunk or drugged driving during the four day Christmas period, slightly more than the number arrested in over the New Year's holiday.
