Paulding resident Earl Chapman joined Ohio’s “Saved by the Belt” Club today after his safety belt saved him from sustaining life-threatening injuries. The crash occurred on State Route 637 at State Route 613 in Paulding County on June 25, 2022.
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In honor of National School Bus Safety Week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be keeping a close eye on traffic surrounding school buses. Troopers will be following school buses over the next five days.
The restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) will be the first of its kind implemented in Northwest Ohio at the intersection of U.S 30 and Thayer Road in Allen County. The new traffic pattern was needed after the Ohio Highway Patrol says that there was a concerning rise in traffic crashes in that area.
No matter how far you may drive over the holiday weekend, whether it's a road trip or to your local festival, drivers are urged to make smart decisions when getting behind the wheel. Last year, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 25 fatalities from crashes over the 4th of July holiday. This year, they will be cracking down on dangerous driving over the long weekend. Lieutenant Tim Grigsby with the OSHP Lima Post says on top of their typical drunk driving concerns, roadway congestion is another issue. With an estimated two million Ohioans on the road this weekend, he recommends drivers stay away from crowded areas if they are not attending.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol along with Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia State Police released numbers on traffic citations given throughout another weeklong 6-State Trooper Project. For this enforcement week, they focused on failing to wear a safety belt. There were 9,873 citations across the six states, with 4,500 in Ohio. The enforcement initiative took place last week, ending after Memorial Day. Lieutenant Tim Grigsby with the OSHP Lima Post says while Ohio does account for nearly half of the violations, a more pressing number lies elsewhere.
Last Memorial Day, there was a record low number of travelers on the roads for the holiday weekend. It wont look like that this year, though.
The agency invited local law enforcement to the 2021 Flag Raising Ceremony to recognize their work in fighting against child abuse and neglect. The flags were presented by Arionna Finch and Avionna Robertson. The Children's Memorial Flag flies to represent the youth lost to violence. The Executive Director of Allen County Children Services, Sarah Newland, says they investigated 850 cases of child abuse and neglect last year and want to use April to keep it from happening again.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol will have troopers out in higher numbers over the weekend to watch for impaired driving. Using data from Super Bowls in the past, they’ll be placed in specific areas known for reckless driving under the influence. Lieutenant Tim Grigsby with the Lima Post says just by planning ahead, it’s easy to prevent mistakes and accidents.
There were 10 fatal crashes resulting in 10 deaths in Allen County during 2020. This is up from 6 crashes with 9 deaths in 2019. 70% of crashes occurred during dark hours, which is not consistent with data from years past. 60% of the fatal crashes last year are believed to have involved drug or alcohol impairment, and 4 of the 10 deaths occurred over a holiday period. There were no motorcyclists involved in any fatalities.
Although the number of people traveling this Christmas weekend may be down, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is aware traffic may not be down.
OSHP will be out the entire weekend to enforce the roadways and remove impaired drivers. AAA is estimating a 30 percent drop in travelers this Christmas. The first time in 11 years travel will decline. The CDC is recommending not to travel as we've seen on other major holidays this year. And like those other holidays, less people traveling was expected.
"There was quite a few less cars on the roadway," Lt. Tim Grigsby said. "But the thing that we typically see though is it only takes one person driving recklessly or impaired or distracted, that can cause a significantly negative chain of events, so."