COLUMBUS, Ohio — Despite a large uptick in travelers over this past Memorial Day weekend, the number of fatalities decreased compared to previous years.
On Tuesday, Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) released their annual reporting on roadway crashes, fatalities and enforcement for Memorial Day weekend. As always, the numbers below are gathered from their official reporting period starting on Friday through Memorial day (May 24-27).
During that period this year, a total of 17 deaths were reported, which marks the lowest number of roadway fatalities since 2021 (15). There were 18 deaths in 2022 and 26 deaths in 2023.
State troopers also made 19,104 traffic stops during the reporting period. During those stops, 361 were arrested for impaired driving and 61 were arrested for drug-related offences. A total of 93 arrests were made for felony offences.
Troopers issued 2,662 safety belt citations along with 1,090 citations for distracted driving. OSHP say they made 9,779 non-enforcement contacts including 1,950 motorist assists.
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