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Ohio law enforcement focusing on drunk driving prevention

Police officers are focusing on preventing drunk driving crashes in Ohio.

The end of the summer can be a dangerous time on Ohio’s roads. As people celebrate the last weeks of warm weather and teens prepare to head back to school, the number of drunk drivers on the road often increases.

Consequently, Ohio police officers are participating in the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement and awareness campaign. During the last weeks of August through the Labor Day holiday weekend, law enforcement officers across Ohio are focusing on ensuring impaired drivers are not on the road, in the hope of reducing the number of drunk driving collisions in the state.

Drunk driving typically results in many auto accidents across the country over Labor Day weekend. During Labor Day weekend in 2012, drunk drivers were responsible for about 40 percent of the deadly motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. Each year, around 167 people are killed in drunk driving collisions over the holiday weekend. In Ohio alone, four people died and another 90 were injured in drunk driving crashes over the Labor Day weekend in 2011, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The serious problem of drunk driving accidents in Ohio

Holiday weekends are not the only time drunk driving is a concern in Ohio. Drunk drivers are responsible for a higher percentage of traffic fatalities in the state than the country on average.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving reported that 385 people were killed by drunk drivers in Ohio in 2012. In all, those deaths accounted for 34 percent of all traffic fatalities in the state that year. Across the country, drunk drivers are responsible for approximately 31 percent of all traffic deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, the drunk driving problem in Ohio appears to be getting worse. In 2012, Ohio saw a 24 percent increase in the number of deaths caused by drunk driving crashes.

In total, there were over 12,250 drunk driving collisions in Ohio in 2012, according to MADD. Those crashes resulted in over 7,385 people suffering injuries.

When an intoxicated individual makes the decision to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, the consequences can be tragic for others on the road. In such cases, the drunk driver should be held responsible for the damage resulting from the crash. If you or someone you love has been involved in a drunk driving collision in Ohio, seek the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney, who will work on your behalf to obtain the compensation to which you may be entitled.

Keywords: drunk driving, Ohio, accident