A SPECIAL NOTICE FROM THE OHIO TRAFFIC SAFETY OFFICE (OTSO)
If you are attending the 2020 National LifeSavers Conference in Tampa, Florida this year, you are invited to meet other participants from Ohio for a quick introduction.
The OTSO has schedule a room where you can meet others from Ohio before LIfeSavers really takes off.
See details below:
Ohio Attendees 2020 Lifesavers (private meeting)
Saturday, March 14, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m., Convention Center, Rm 7-9
Organizer: Lori Genzen, Ohio Traffic Safety Office - lgenzen@dps.ohio.gov
Note: This meeting is open to everyone from Ohio, so it doesn't matter if you are grantee or not. If you have an interest in traffic safety and are from Ohio, we hope to see you there.
FROM OUR PARTNERS AT NHTSA
To view the complete February 2020 Impaired Driving Update from NHTSA, click here.
OSTATS for the Public (on the Ohio State Highway Patrol website)
The public version of OSTATS can be accessed directly from the main page of the patrol’s website at: https://www.statepatrol.ohio.gov/ostats.aspx. The public is now able to map five years plus current crashes by severity at the point level. This is a major improvement that law enforcement agencies have requested. Additionally, OSTATS has new background maps with better streets, and users now have the ability to create Density Maps (Heat Maps).
The Statewide Crash Dashboard has the following crash variable filters available:
Alcohol-Related (new)
Bicycle (new)
Buggy (new)
Commercial
Deer
Distracted
Drug-Related (new)
Failure-to-Yield (new)
Mature Driver
Motorcycle
OVI-Related
Pedestrian
Ran Red Light/Stop Sign (new)
School Bus (new)
Speed
Teen Driver (new)
Unbelted
Work Zone (new)
Youthful Driver
An updated user guide for the public is available by clicking here. The user guide can also be found on the Ohio State Highway Patrol website by the OSTATS link on the statistics page.
Saint Patrick's Day Social Norming Campaign - Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
If you’re heading out to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, make sure you have more than just the luck o’ the Irish on your side. This holiday - March 17, 2020 - is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, and this, unfortunately, means more drunk drivers on the roads. Drunk driving accounts for nearly one-third of vehicle-related fatalities in the United States. This St. Patrick’s Day weekend, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you plan to go out and enjoy the evening with alcohol, make sure you refrain from driving. Review these facts and share the word about the dangers of drunk driving so you can continue merry-making for all the St. Paddy’s Days to come.
Use these marketing tools to reach out to your community about the dangers of drinking and driving on this day. These materials will partner your office with other States, communities, and organizations on this drunk driving prevention initiative:
U Drive. U Text. U Pay. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
U Drive - U Text - U Pay is a campaign centered on aiding law enforcement officers in their efforts to keep distracted drivers off the road. Distracted driving is a first offense in many states and continues to gain recognition across the nation as a deadly problem.
This campaign is targeted to men and women 18 to 34 years old with a skew toward females.
Use these law enforcement campaign materials to raise awareness in your community about the consequences of texting while driving. These enforcement materials do not focus on social norming - for those materials, please refer to:
By raising public awareness on Distracted Driving, YOU can help save lives. Materials like this can be ordered using the order form found by clicking here.
Registration is now open for the following sessions of Creating a Rural Active Transportation Plan from the Active Transportation Academy:
To access a PDF flyer for this course topic, click here.
Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) provides officers with general knowledge related to drug impaired driving and to promote the use of Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). Law enforcement officers will learn to observe, identify and articulate the signs of impairment related to drugs, alcohol, or a combination of both, in order to reduce the number of impaired driving crashes.
The ARIDE program stresses the importance of the signs and symptoms of the seven drug categories. Officers attending this course will receive an update/refresher of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFSTs) and must successfully pass an SFST proficiency evaluation. This training also promotes interaction with representatives from the state's prosecution community who are encouraged to attend. The instructors for this course are all Ohio DRE certified instructors. Prerequisite: Law enforcement officers must have had training in SFST (previously ADAP). This course is funded through an OTSO/NHTSA grant and is free for sworn Ohio law enforcement officers and prosecutors only. Tuition for out-of-state officers is $250.
London instructor(s): Dwight Underwood
Richfield instructor(s): Mike Golec
The view the upcoming classes and to register, click here.
To view the UPDATED flyer with registration information for Milford, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Walbridge, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Independence, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Portsmouth, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Canton, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Lima, click here.
To view the flyer with registration information for Cincinnati, click here.
To view the agenda and registration information, click here.
Drug Recognition Expert Program
The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program is a traffic safety program that focuses on the detection, apprehension and adjudication of drug-impaired drivers.
A DRE is a law enforcement officer highly trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than or in addition to alcohol.
For more information, upcoming training dates and how to apply for this free training, please view the DRE Application, School Information and upcoming classes by clicking here.
HOW WELLNESS AFFECTS OUR DAILY DRIVING BEHAVIORS
Did you know that your eating and sleeping habits, physical activity, and mental and physical health affect your driving behavior?
Everyone knows that keeping up with vehicle maintenance is critical to maintaining the health of our vehicles. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as important and could have as much influence on our ability to be a safe driver as having a safe vehicle to drive. Your health affects your performance as a driver. Driver wellness and safety is critical to preventing crashes. Ignoring driver wellness and safety may increase the risk of being in a crash.
To view the "Driven to Wellness" information from our partners at NETS, click here.
REMEMBER the OTSO offers materials for numerous traffic safety campaigns, including impaired driving, restraint usage, distracted driving, and motorcycles. Utilizing the numerous materials found here can make an impact that will reach beyond your community. By raising public awareness YOU can help save lives. The order form can be found by clicking here.
