Lorain County Sheriffs Ramping Up Traffic Patrols

LORAIN, OH — The Lorain County Sheriff's office will be ramping up its traffic patrols through the end of the year.

"We'd like to encourage everyone to drive sober. We would also ask that every driver do their part to make our roadways a safer place by not texting and driving, watching your speed and avoiding aggressive driving habits," said Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti.

This week, the sheriffs received three grants, worth more than $100,000, to support traffic law enforcement programs. All of the grants come from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office.

The first grant will power the sheriffs "Selective Driving Enforcement" program, which aims to crack down on aggressive driving, speeding and distracted driving. That grant was for nearly $38,000.

The second grant supports the Impaired Driving program. That money will be used to fund programs geared at getting impaired drivers off the road. That grant was worth more than $50,000.

The third grant will go to the Drugged Driving Enforcement program. That program will run during the day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and focuses on getting drivers who are impaired by drugs off the road. That grant was for more than $10,000.

Stammitti said the goal of these campaigns is to reduce the number of traffic accidents in Lorain County.

"These types of accidents always have devastating effects on the motoring public," he said.