Ohio State Highway Patrol Cracking Down On Distracted Driving

CLEVELAND, OH — Drivers can expect increased Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) presence starting July 16 and ending July 22. The patrol says it is joining other members of the 6-State Trooper Project with increased focus on distracted driving enforcement.

The six state effort will include the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Pennsylvania State Police and the West Virginia State Police. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

“Distracted driving is a reckless and dangerous behavior,” said Colonel Paul A. Pride in a statement. “If you’re behind the wheel, you need to be completely focused on driving. The Ohio State Highway Patrol and our law enforcement partners in our neighboring states know the devastating effects of distracted driving,”

The 6-State Trooper Project brings together a multi-state law enforcement coalition and is designed to provided coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol and intelligence sharing.

The OSHP also reported that 17 people were killed in traffic crashes during the July 4th holiday, which begins June 30 and ends July 4. Five of the crashes were at least partly the result of impairment, OSHP says.

Troopers also made 908 arrests for impaired driving and 624 for drug-related charges during the July 4th period. The OSHP was also called to 807 crashes and made more than 43,000 traffic contacts, including helping 5,000 drivers.

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