Ohio Car Accidents Hope To Be Lessens This Memorial Day Weekend As Ohio State Highway Patrol Is Participating In 6-State Seat Belt Enforcement Initiative.
Ohio Car Accidents: Memorial Day weekend–the official kickoff to summer–is almost here, and with over 1 million Ohioans are expected to travel to Memorial Day ceremonies, family gatherings and other events, Ohio law enforcement officials hope to reduce fatal Ohio car accidents. The OSHP is participating in a 6-state seat belt enforcement initiative. The men and women of the Ohio Highway Patrol will keep a sharp eye out for speeders and drivers who are not buckled up. This initiative will hopefully reduce the number of fatal Ohio car accidents.
Ohioans can expect the same level of scrutiny when driving to neighboring states since the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) has joined with multi-state initiative that focuses on seat belt enforcement from now to May 29. The 6-State Trooper Project includes the State Police Departments from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
What’s more, the OSHP accepted a “friendly challenge” from troopers in Michigan and Indiana to increase safety belt use in the Midwest. From now through June 4, this competition, running in conjunction with the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, has a goal of increasing the overall seat belt use in Ohio.
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The OSHP’s campaign comes at a time when Ohio is seeing an increase in the number of fatal crashes on Ohio roadways. According to OSHP statistics, the number of fatal crashes rose from 1,029 n 2015 to 1,054 in 2016. However, the number of unbelted fatalities dropped from 473 in 2015 to 431 in 2016. Additionally, OSHP troopers have increased seat belt enforcement this year by making 54,534 seat belt enforcement stops as of May 22, compared to last year at this time when the number of stops were 51,623.
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Almost 50 percent of occupants of fatal crashes nationwide in 2016 were not restrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Similar statistics were recorded in 2015 when 48 percent of those killed were unrestrained. Safety programs involving increased seat belt use and reduced impaired driving have worked to substantially lower the number of traffic fatalities over the years, the NHTSA says.
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As for Memorial Day weekend travel, AAA expects 39.3 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home between May 25 and May 29. According to AAA, this is 1 million more travelers, or a 2.7 percent increase over last year, creating the highest Memorial Day travel volume since 2005. More than 1.5 million Ohio travelers, a 2.2 percent increase from last year, are included in this group. This marks the sixth consecutive year of auto travel growth in Ohio, according to AAA.
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The OSHP urges Ohioans to increase driving safety by buckling up. Memorial Day leads to an increase in traffic compared to other weekends, making cautious driving vital for a safe holiday, according to the OSHP.
