The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting two fatal crashes resulting in three deaths during the New Year’s holiday.
The OSHP released its provisional statistics for the two-day reporting period that began at midnight on Tuesday, December 31, and ran through 11:59 p.m. on New Year's Day. One of the three deaths is listed as OVI-related. Two involved pedestrians who were struck by vehicles, both in Northeast Ohio.
Over those two days, state troopers made 77 impaired driving arrests, issued 73 distracted driving tickets and 159 seat belt citations. But the highway patrol's statewide dashboard shows as of Dec. 30, the state hit a five-year high in fatal crashes. As of Dec. 30, there were 1,052 fatal crashes reported in Ohio in 2024. That's the highest number since the 1,041 fatal crashes reported in Ohio in 2019.
Ohio's ban on texting while driving went into effect in October 2023. It makes it illegal to use or hold a phone or other cellular device while driving. Gov. Mike DeWine has credited the new law with saving lives. He said crashes involving distracted drivers were down 12% year over year. And during that same time, the number of fatal crashes due to distracted driving fell too - from 31 to 25.
Ohio has also increased penalties for drunk driving in recent years, stepped up enforcement of those laws, and increased public awareness of the problem through increased advertising.
