The national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign begins today and runs through Labor Day targeting drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs through sobriety checkpoints. The State Highway Patrol will partner with local law-enforcement agencies to accomplish this crack down on impaired driving. Here are the central Ohio area DUI checkpoints scheduled for August 16, 2013:
- Franklin County: Cleveland Avenue in Westerville, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
- Delaware County: Rt. 23, north of Lazelle Road and the Franklin-Delaware county line, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Fairfield County: E. Main Street (Rt. 22), east of Graceland Drive, in Lancaster, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Licking County: Rt. 79, south of Kaiser Drive, in Hebron, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Federal grant funds are financing the DUI/OVI checkpoints.
In 2012, 436 Ohioans died in alcohol-related crashes. That number has declined dramatically this year to 103 alcohol-related deaths thus far, according to preliminary figures from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
State troopers make about 25,000 arrests a year in which motorists are charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. www.dispatch.com
On Saturday, August 3, the Ohio Highway Patrol said six drivers were arrested in Columbus during two different OVI checkpoints.
The first checkpoint was conducted on Hilliard-Rome Road, north of Roberts Road. Authorities stopped 550 vehicles in the area. One driver was arrested for allegedly operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs.
Another checkpoint was held on Cemetery Road, west of I-270. A total of 394 vehicles were stopped at that location. Four drivers were arrested for suspected drunken driving. Another driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.
The checkpoints were operated in conjunction with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and Hilliard Police. www.10tv.com