OHIO LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKING TOGETHER TO REDUCE DRUNK DRIVING
National Enforcement Mobilization
August 17 - September 5, 2022 / Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
As the end of summertime and the busy Labor Day weekend approaches, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and The Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) are working alongside Law Enforcement in all 88 Ohio counties to decrease impaired driving. Ohioans will see an increase in DUI enforcement during the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement period.
August 17 - September 5, 2022 - paid media campaign
August 19 - September 5, 2022 - enforcement mobilization
Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20%. This is why NHTSA has prepared these campaign materials to maximize participation in this year's high-visibility enforcement mobilization campaign.
Click HERE to view the campaign materials for this National Enforcement Mobilization.
Note: No one may alter, edit, or change a NHTSA TV ad or video.
On behalf of the NHTSA team, thanks for your proactive support in impaired driving prevention.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY REMINDER:
NHTSA is offering funding support to strengthen drug-impaired driving programs through use of the Drug-Impaired Driving Criminal Justice Evaluation Tool (DUID tool). There is no deadline to apply, but funding is limited and will be distributed as applications are received and approved. Funds must be expended by July 2023.
Who is eligible to receive funding?
Any State, local, territorial, or tribal agency that plays a role in addressing drug-impaired driving and has completed at least one section of the DUID Tool is eligible. Multiple agencies working together are encouraged to submit one joint application, if possible.
How can the funding be used?
Implementation or support of DWI Task Forces
Purchasing iPads or other tablets, cell phones, computers, scanners for obtaining/approving e-warrants or DRE call-outs
SPEED AWARENESS DAY CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS FOR OHIO LAW ENFORCEMENT
24 Law enforcement agencies across Ohio joined their counterparts from six states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin on July 27 for the first-ever National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 5 high visibility Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign. Preliminary numbers show:
Ohio officers, deputies & state troopers issued 869 citations during the campaign
559 of those citations were for speed related violations
Ohio law enforcement also made 113 arrests during speed enforcement detail
During speed enforcement detail in Lockland (Hamilton County), a suspect flagged for homicide was detained and later charged with aggravated murder.
“The hard work of our officers in these enforcement efforts were instrumental in preventing injuries and saving lives,” said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director, Tom Stickrath. “We want to remind the public that speed is one of the leading contributing factors to fatal traffic crashes here in Ohio.”
The speed awareness campaign was a 1-day speed enforcement event created by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, and coordinated in Ohio by the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) and its respective law enforcement liaisons. The initiative was held in July because studies show that the most fatal crashes where speed is a contributing factor occur between June and September.
Speed is involved in about one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide. NHTSA statistical projections for 2021 show traffic deaths grew by 10.5% to 42,915. This also represents the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the highest annual percentage increase in the recorded history.
NHTSA 2022 Speed Prevention Campaign Continues Through August 14
In 2021, there were 5,413 fatal injuries in NHTSA Region 5 with 1,668 (30.8%) being speed-related fatalities. This was an increase of 17.7% from 2020. Ohio ranks second in the six-state region with 1,351 total fatalities, an increase of 9.8% from the previous year.
To help reduce the number of speeding fatalities on the roads, NHTSA is developing a new 2022 safety campaign to remind drivers that Speeding Wrecks Lives:
NEW DISTRACTED DRIVING VIDEO AIMED AT REDUCING TEEN CRASHES
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) released a new educational video for use by parents, teachers, and driver's education instructors to help them explain the dangers of distracted driving to teens.
The light-hearted video is targeted toward youthful drivers and features a pair of young hosts answering distracted driving questions that driver's education instructors get the most.
"Our new educational video takes a comedic approach to engage young drivers on this incredibly serious topic," said Governor DeWine. "By using other young drivers to deliver this message, we hope the important safety lessons stay with Ohio's teenagers every time they get behind the wheel."
Statewide statistics show how dangerous driving distracted is for motorists:
In 2021 – distracted driving, likely under-reported, contributed to 11,883 crashes in Ohio.
37 people in Ohio died as a result of distracted driving crashes.
“Reducing crashes on Ohio roadways is one of our top priorities” said OTSO Director Felice Moretti. “With more distractions now than ever before, it’s important to teach our young drivers that the road demands your attention when you’re behind the wheel. This video demonstrates that point in a creative and engaging way.”
Ohio traffic laws include several penalties for driving distracted:
In Ohio, distracted driving is considered a primary offense for driversunder 18– which means that teens can be pulled over if a law enforcement officer sees them using their mobile device in any way.
Drivers who are cited for distracted driving face a fine of $150, and teen drivers face an additional 60-day suspension.
A new law in 2018 adds an additional $100 fine for distracted driving while committing a moving violation. The additional fine can be waived if the offender attends a distracted driving education course offered
Visitors to The Ohio State Fair can view the video at The Ohio Department of Public Safety/State Highway Patrol display inside the Bricker building during all 12 days of the fair.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCE PROSECUTORS VIDEO TRAINING SERIES
RECENT VIDEO
COMBATING ALCOHOL AND DRUG - IMPAIRED DRIVING (IIHS), to view this video click here.
PREVIOUS VIDEOS
TO MEET THE TSRP'S AND LEARN WHAT TRAINING IS AVAILABLE TO LAW ENFORMCEMENT AND PROSECUTORS, click here.
TRAFFIC SAFETY CASE LAW UPDATE FOR 2020 - to view this video click here.
OHIO INTOXILYZER 8000 FOR PROSECUTORS - to view click here.
Stay tuned to future issues of TrafficWise as new videos are released.
WEBINAR SERIES
*The following webinars are approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 1.5 CLE credit hours for prosecutors:
AUGUST TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
Title: Delta 8 THC: HYPE(er) Or Hoax – The Cannabis Industry’s Blinding Smokescreen For DUI Investigations
Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Time: 2p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Chip Walls, Forensic Toxicologist
Description: While not legal, products containing delta-8 THC and others are inaccurately marketed as “safe and legal.” The psychoactive effects of these compounds are qualitatively like delta-9 THC and adversely affect human performance in a dose dependent fashion; thus, they affect a person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle and become important in DUI cases. This webinar will provide updated information on these substances, including: delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, and other emerging isomers. It will discuss the prevalence of such substances, detection issues related to them, their toxicology, and public safety risks posed by these substances. Additionally, legal issues related to these substances and DUI cases will be discussed so that prosecutors and law enforcement officers that deal with DUI cases will have sufficient background knowledge into these issues to better handle their cases.
There is no charge to attend this webinar, but you must register in advance. Click here for complete information and registration information.
SEPTEMBER TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
Title: Mellanby Effect: A LEO's Perspective on Homeostasis & Burn Off
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Time: 2:00p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Det. Tom Heller, Seattle Police Department
Description: This session will explain from a law enforcement perspective the many factors to review to determine if a defendant is safely off the roadway, including specifics on the scientific phenomena at play in why alcohol impaired people choose to drive. It will explain the background behind homeostasis and burn-off, and discuss how these scientific factors come into play in a DUI case so that both prosecutors and law enforcement officers can better explain and articulate these factors in order to better investigate and prosecute DUI cases. This session is a crucial follow-up to a prior session on the Mellanby Effect conducted by Washington State TSRP Miriam Norman, which explained these factors from a prosecutor's perspective; this session will provide both prosecutors and law enforcement officers with even more information on these factors, this time from the eyes of a law enforcement officer.
There is no charge to attend this webinar, but you must register in advance. Click here for complete information and registration information.
OCTOBER TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
Title: DUI Report Writing: Best Practices for Completing the DUI Alcohol/Drug Influence Report
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Time: 2p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Vin Petty, Florida TSRP
Description: This session will provide an in-depth discussion of techniques and tips to improve the documentation of all aspects of a DUI Investigation. This presentation is taught from a prosecutor's perspective and is designed to assist the law enforcement officer in improving his or her DUI Reports, so that a prosecutor can better use them to succeed in court. It will also serve as a way for prosecutors to better understand what needs to be included in a DUI Report so that they can work to better educate the law enforcement officers that they deal with. A variety of DUI Reports submitted from various agencies in actual DUI Prosecutions -- both good and bad examples -- will be discussed and serve as examples of how to better prepare and use the DUI Alcohol/Drug Influence Report in DUI cases.
There is no charge to attend this webinar, but you must register in advance. Click here for complete information and registration information.
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.
August 8-9 - Cincinnati
August 29-30 - Delaware
September 7-8 - Summit County (independent course through DRE)
October 31 - November 1 - Lancaster
December 5-6 - Richfield
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.
To view the upcoming classes and to register, 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.
Association of Transportation Safety Information Professionals (ATSIP)
Join colleagues and partners from across the country in Derby City this September as we redefine possible in traffic safety.
General sessions will consider the unique safety needs and opportunities in rural communities, how automated vehicles continue to impact driver behavior, the role of behavioral safety in the Safe System approach and what states can do to reduce distracted driving. Breakout workshops will dive into an array of topics, including engaging underserved communities and partners, alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, speeding, micromobility, innovative communications campaigns, pedestrians and bicyclists, and teen and older driver safety.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about trends, resources and new ideas, and leave with a fresh perspective on how to redefine possible for the communities you serve. The meeting also provides sponsorship, partnership and exhibit opportunities to help your organization interact with key U.S. highway safety leaders and decision-makers.
Who Should Attend?
State Highway Safety Office directors, their staff and grant recipients
REMEMBER the OTSO offers materials for numerous traffic safety campaigns, including impaired driving, restraint usage, distracted driving, speeding 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.
