January 2, 2025, Press Release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol: COLUMBUS - The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting two fatal crashes resulting in three fatalities on Ohio’s roadways during the 2024-2025 New Year’s holiday, according to provisional statistics. The two-day reporting period began at midnight on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, and ran through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2025
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - If you plan on having fun this New Year's, make sure you do so safely.
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Ohio State Highway Patrol released their holiday report.
December 16, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Public Safety: COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) has awarded over $24 million for statewide programming to improve traffic safety and reduce traffic-related fatalities. A total of 189 grants were awarded with 159 grants going toward 145 different local agencies in 63 counties, and 30 grants going toward statewide initiatives. All grants support the efforts of safety partners statewide and focus on traffic safety priority areas, including impaired driving, seat belt usage, speeding, distracted driving, youthful driving, and motorcycle safety. The traffic safety grant funds were directed to OTSO from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
December 13, 2024, Press Release from the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission: LIMA—The Lima-Allen County Safe Community Coalition met this morning at Mercy Health to honor its coalition members, announce the recent FY25 grant award of $46,200 from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and discuss the importance of driving sober this winter. Twenty coalition members attended the biannual breakfast where safety advocates come together to recap safe driving campaigns, like Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Megan Kinnear, chairperson for Lima-Allen County Safe Community Coalition, said the grant became effective Oct. 1, 2024 and runs through Sept. 30, 2025.
The City of Lima wants motorists to take note of a traffic change for tomorrow. The traffic light at the intersection of Elm Street and Jameson will be worked on, and the intersection will become a four-way stop. With a partial lane closure. If you can find an alternate route for Thursday, it may be a good idea. The work is expected to take about 8 hours.
December 5, 2024, Press Release from the the Ohio State Highway Patrol: LIMA – As friends and families gather across Ohio this holiday season, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be highly visible on the state’s roadways. As always, the Patrol is committed to removing dangerous and impaired drivers, keeping Ohioans and our visitors safe. “There is never an excuse for driving impaired,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “I encourage everyone to drive responsibly every day; troopers will have no tolerance for those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” Since 2019, there have been 72,130 impaired driving-related crashes, resulting in the deaths of 3,920 people. This accounts for 54% of all fatal crashes on Ohio roadways. Additionally, during the same time period, nearly 44,000 others were injured in OVI-related crashes. Alcohol and/or drugs played a role in 53% of fatal crashes in the state. Of the 3,587 OVI-related fatal crashes since 2019, 28% were alcohol-related, 40% were drug-related and 32% were a combination of alcohol and drugs.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says that eight people were killed over the long holiday weekend in the state. There were seven crashes that led to eight deaths between midnight on Wednesday and Sunday night. This is the fewest number of deaths since 2018. One person died in an impaired driving crash; three were not wearing their seatbelts. Troopers also arrested nearly 250 people for impaired driving and cited nearly 300 people for distracted driving over the five-day reporting period.
The night before Thanksgiving is the top drinking night of the year and law enforcement is urging those who drink to find a safe way home. The Ohio State Highway Patrol along with local law enforcement will be out patroling over the Thanksgiving weekend for driving violations and drivers under the influence.
November 5, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol: LIMA - The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding everyone to buckle up this upcoming holiday season. Since 2019, a total of 2,919 people who were not wearing an available safety belt were killed in traffic crashes on Ohio’s roadways. “Wearing a safety belt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stay safe on the road,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “I urge everyone to buckle up, every trip, every time - not only for your own safety but for the safety of everyone in the vehicle.”
