The Ohio State Highway Patrol may be looking for you.
Beginning Memorial Day weekend, troopers will search the state for people not because of any particular crime, but because they want help in creating safer highways, particularly before this traditionally deadly holiday weekend.
Starting May 23, as part of a summer-long extension of the award-winning Partners for Safety effort, residents, students, and business and community group members will be provided information which helps them become a highway safety Partner and also receive free Highway Patrol license plate brackets which identifies them as such.
Troopers and area residents certainly have a challenge in making Ohio highways safer.
Last year, at least 13 people were killed on Ohio roads over the Memorial Day weekend.
Traffic crash deaths are a leading killer in Ohio, and excessive speed is the leading causative factor for fatal crashes in the state. Statistics indicate over half the people killed in motor vehicle crashes in Ohio each year are not wearing their available safety belt, and about 25 percent of the fatal crashes in Ohio involve alcohol.
We can reduce tragedy and increase the quality of life with the public’s help.
As part of this new partnership venture, residents will receive a program overview, free license plate bracket, and a Partners for Safety: Guidelines to Help tip sheet. Whether it is by calling 1-877-7-PATROL when spotting a dangerous driver or stranded motorist, or 1-800-GRAB DUI or cellular *DUI when spotting impaired drivers, motorists truly are the eyes and ears of highway safety.
The tip sheet includes a recommendation that motorists equip each vehicle with the Safe Seven to ensure safety on the roadways this summer. The Safe Seven includes: Cellular telephone or CB radio; flares, reflectors, or other warning devices; Send Help or similar sign, and/or white flag; first aid kit; flashlight; reflective tape; and blanket.
The tip sheet also offers partners the following indicators in helping detect alcohol or drug-impaired drivers: Moves either very slow and inaccurate, or fast and reckless; makes wide turns; stops in roadway without cause; sits through cycle of a traffic light without moving; straddles center or edge lines; signals one way and turns the other way; drives without headlights at night; makes abrupt or incremented movements during turns; or drives a path that is not on the designated roadway.
State troopers ask that motorists who call 1-800-GRAB DUI or cellular *DUI try to provide as much of the following information as possible when reporting a suspected drunk driver: Location and direction the other vehicle is traveling; vehicle make and model; and the license plate number if available.
A quick reminder on one of summer’s most frustrating driving-related headaches; road construction. Road closures, orange barrels, and long delays will affect many Ohio drivers this summer. Despite the inconveniences, remember these projects are necessary to make sure roadway surfaces are safe for travel.
The Patrol has a number of ways to help motorists plan ahead for construction and other travel delays. Look for the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s On the Road segment each week on the Ohio News Network for details on locations around the state where motorists should expect travel delays due to ongoing construction projects.
Also, check travel conditions statewide through the Patrol’s toll-free road and weather conditions hotline, 1-888-2-OH-ROAD. Additionally, road and weather conditions are available through the Patrol’s website at www.state.oh.us/ohiostatepatrol/.
Patience, caution, and following posted traffic signs will help you get through road construction woes this summer.
Getting back to the Memorial Day weekend, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers across the state will join businesses, law enforcement, and government agencies throughout the country in the Operation ABC Mobilization - America Buckling Up Children. The effort is part of the largest-ever coordinated crackdown on drivers who do not buckle up children.
Finally, public participation in the safety process is key to reducing tragedies on Ohio roadways. As I stated earlier, remember that you are the eyes and ears of highway safety. This Memorial Day weekend, make the commitment and become a Partner for Safety.