TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol wants to respond to fewer crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Troopers said the traffic will only pick up over the next few days which is why they are stressing the importance of the driver safety laws.
OSHP said that the Thanksgiving weekend is a busy time to be on the road.
Over the last few years, crashes have led to too many avoidable deaths. Between 2019 and 2022, 65 people have lost their lives on Ohio roads.
Sgt. Ryan Purpura said the state will continue to enforce the law in hopes of reducing deadly crashes and saving lives.
"Starting tomorrow through Sunday, traffic is going to be busy. People will be going out to celebrate with their loved ones, friends or family for Thanksgiving," said Purpura. "We just want to remind the motoring public to be cautious, take their time getting where they need to go."
Troopers are putting out that yearly reminder that drivers can't get comfortable as it's a dangerous time to be fighting traffic.
"Obviously, we don't want anyone driving impaired so have that plan in place before they go out," said Purpura. "We aren't saying don't have a good time, but have that plan in place so they can arrive safely at their destination."
19 people died on Ohio roads during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend last year. The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested 278 people for impaired driving during this time in 2022.
Purpura said 12 of the 18 deadly crashes involved drug and alcohol use. He said the state takes the goal of saving lives very seriously and troopers will be enforcing the law even more than normal over the next couple of days.
"Our troopers will be out there, we will be highly visible, we will be stopping cars in the interest of traffic safety to keep our roadways as safe as possible," said Purpura.
He said they will also be there to help if needed.
"You might see our flashing lights on the side of the roadway. We might be out there assisting someone with a tire change, we might be helping them, we might be stopping for a traffic violation," said Purpura. "In any case, we ask that if you see our flashing lights that you proceed with caution. Move over if you can and if you can't move over, please slow down."
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