Patrol July Fourth Statistics: 12 Fatalities; 709 OVI Arrests

Patrol July Fourth Statistics: 12 Fatalities; 709 OVI Arrests

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 12 people lost their lives in 12 traffic crashes during the July Fourth reporting period, which began Wednesday, July 3 and ended Sunday, July 7. Impairment was determined to be a factor in at least three of those crashes.

Troopers made 709 arrests for impaired driving and 507 for drug-related charges. The Patrol responded to 809 crashes and made more than 55,000 traffic contacts in total, which included providing assistance to more than 4,500 motorists.

“Impaired driving is a risk to everyone’s safety on our roads,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent. “That’s why troopers make OVI enforcement a priority.”

During last year’s Fourth of July reporting period from July 3 to July 4, there were a total of four fatal crashes that killed eight people. Motorists are encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers or drug activity.