COLUMBUS, OHIO (WLIO) - 15 people lost their lives in crashes around Ohio over the Labor Day weekend. The Ohio State Highway Patrol says that those deaths happened in 15 crashes between Friday and Monday. There were 24 people killed in crashes in 2023. Six of the fatal crashes in 2024 were OVI-related, and there were over 375 OVI arrests made, and another 50 were brought up on drug-related charges. Seven of the people killed were not wearing seatbelts. While a seatbelt violation is a secondary violation, over 2,000 seat belt or child safety seat citations were issued this past weekend as motorists were being pulled over for other violations.
There were 24 people killed in crashes in 2023. Six of the fatal crashes in 2024 were OVI-related, and there were over 375 OVI arrests made, and another 50 were brought up on drug-related charges.
Media Release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol
Seven of the people killed were not wearing seatbelts.
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 15 people lost their lives in 15 traffic crashes during the Labor Day reporting period, which began Friday, August 30 at midnight and ended Monday, September 2 at 11:59 p.m.
While a seatbelt violation is a secondary violation, over 2,000 seat belt or child safety seat citations were issued this past weekend as motorists were being pulled over for other violations.
In those fatalities in which safety belts were available, seven were unbelted. Ohio’s safety belt law remains a secondary violation; however, troopers continued to have zero tolerance during the holiday reporting period when motorists were stopped for other violations and were found not wearing their safety belt. Throughout the reporting period, troopers issued more than 2,000 safety belt and child safety seat citations.
Additionally, six of the fatal crashes were OVI-related. Troopers also made 378 arrests for impaired driving and 50 for drug-related charges. The patrol responded to 519 crashes and made 25,674 traffic contacts in total. Troopers also issued 930 citations for distracted driving and provided assistance to 1,829 motorists.
A statewide breakdown of enforcement and crashes during the Labor Day reporting period can be found here.
Motorists are encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers or drug activity.
