OSP issues 24,000+ OVI citations in 2013

The Ohio Highway Patrol issued 24,123 citations for OVI in 2013, according to a recent report, which makes it the second consecutive year that more than 24,000 citations were issued to impaired drivers.

The citations are part of OSP's increased focus on impaired driving enforcement, and there's some evidence its efforts are paying off.

In 2013, OVI-related crashes accounted for 33 percent of all fatal crashes in Ohio, according to the report. That is down from an average of 43 percent from 2010-2012.

Here are more findings from the 2013 report:

  • There were 11,226 OVI-related crashes on Ohio roadways, killing 330 and injuring 6,843.
  • Speed was a contributing factor in 60 percent of all OVI-related crashes.
  • Nearly one-in-four OVI-related crashes in 2013 occurred in Franklin, Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties. Franklin County has led the state in OVI-related crashes for the last five years.
  • Drivers aged 21-35 received 52 percent of all OVI citations in Ohio.
  • Male drivers received 74 percent of OVI citations.
  • Sixty-three percent of OVI citations were issued between midnight and 4 a.m.

"We can't fight the battle against impaired driving on our own. We need your commitment to make our roads safe," Lt. Douglas Eck, the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Xenia post commander, said in a prepared statement.

"You can contribute to a safer Ohio by actively influencing friends and family to make safe, responsible decisions — like planning ahead to designate a driver and insisting that everyone in the vehicle is buckled up," he said.

Last year, state troopers from the Xenia post arrested 321 impaired drivers in the Greene County area.

The public is encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers, drug activity or stranded motorists.

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