OTSO Introducing New Driver Safety Tools for Teens
October 16-22 is National Teen Driver Safety Week
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In recognition of National Teen Driver Safety Week, The Ohio Traffic Safety Office is announcing two new tools that will soon be available for parents and driving school instructors to help better prepare young drivers who are still gaining experience behind the wheel.
New, localized traffic safety bulletins and an all-digital Ohio Driver's Permit Packet are coming soon to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office's (OTSO) website.
Digital Driver Permit Packet
OTSO is simplifying the process to find information needed for obtaining a driver's permit. All documents relevant to teen driver training and obtaining an Ohio driver’s license will soon be digitally available on OTSO's Teach Your Teen to Drive website. A QR code linking to the Ohio Driver's Permit Packet will also be displayed at all Ohio BMV driver exam stations and deputy registrar license agencies.
The new guide is designed to answer the most common questions that teen drivers and parents have about getting licensed to drive in Ohio. It also addresses teen driver safety risks like impaired driving and distracted driving and outlines the importance of following speed limits, limiting passengers, and wearing seatbelts. Although this information has always been available on the Ohio BMV website, it has not been packaged together in one place, until now.
Driver Training Bulletins
In partnership with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, OTSO will biannually publish 88 county-specific driver training bulletins for use by parents, teachers, and driving instructors to help educate young drivers on local-level driving trends, dangerous roads and intersections, and seatbelt usage.
"We are continuously looking for ways to equip Ohio's young drivers with information to help them make good decisions behind the wheel," said Governor DeWine. "Each county in Ohio has unique driver-safety issues based on varying landscapes, population, and roads, so this local information can help parents and driving instructors determine which driving skills to focus on with new and practicing drivers."
In addition to making the bulletins available on the Driver Training website, OTSO will distribute the publications to all driver training schools in the state so that instructors can adapt behind-the-wheel training to their local area.
“A majority of all crashes are caused by driver error, and that’s definitely true for new teen drivers who are still getting used to being behind the wheel,” said OTSO Director Felice Moretti. “The information presented on these data sheets is like having an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in the classroom and will help young drivers develop good decision-making and safe driving habits that can last a lifetime.”
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ohio ranks seventh in the United States for fatal crashes in 2021 (1,351) – a 9.8% increase from the year before. In 2021 - 37,552 crashes in Ohio were considered teen-related.
As a division within the Ohio Department of Public Safety, OTSO’s mission is to save lives and reduce injuries on Ohio’s roads through leadership and partnering efforts with others interested in traffic safety, utilizing the most innovative and efficient methods possible of managing state and federal resources.
October is Pedestrian Safety Month
The personal, physical, and environmental benefits of walking can lead to healthier, quieter, cleaner, and safer streets. Walking can also improve local economies and enhance social and community engagement, which can lead to more vibrant, resilient, and livable spaces.
Unfortunately, since 2017, there have been 14,466 pedestrian-related crashes on Ohio’s roadways. Of those, 843 were fatal crashes involving the deaths of 847 pedestrians.
48 percent of pedestrian-related crashes occurred between 6 and 11:59 p.m.
1 in 3 pedestrian-related crashes occurred on a Friday or Saturday.
Pedestrians were at fault in 34% of pedestrian-related crashes, and 53% of the fatal pedestrian-related crashes.
Pedestrians should always use a sidewalk when it is provided. It is unlawful for pedestrians to walk along and upon the adjacent roadway if a sidewalk is available. Where no sidewalk or shoulder exists, pedestrians may walk as close as practicable to an outside edge of the road, facing oncoming traffic.
Pedestrians and motorists can follow these tips to increase pedestrian safety:
Do not be distracted by electronic devices that take your eyes and ears off the road.
Pedestrians should wear bright or reflective clothing, especially at night.
Pedestrians should cross where motorists expect them to, follow pedestrian signs and signals, and never assume a driver can see you.
Motorists are required to yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk and in unmarked crosswalks at intersections.
Motorists can use bright headlights when legally able to illuminate the roadway and possibly spot a pedestrian walking near the roadway.
Motorists should slow down and drive cautiously in residential areas.
Click here to get the 2022 Pedestrian Safety campaign materials. Please use these materials to increase awareness about how we can combat pedestrian crashes in our communities.
On behalf of the NHTSA team, thanks for your proactive support in pedestrian safety.
Halloween Impaired Driving Prevention
Halloween is meant to be scary, but not when it comes to driving.
Drunk Driving
56 people in the U.S. were killed in 2020 on Halloween night in drunk-driving crashes.
In Ohio, 50% of all fatal crashes on October 31, 2020 were OVI related.
There were 47 OVI related crashes in Ohio on Halloween 2020.
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.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and The Ohio State University – John Glenn College of Public Affairs will host the 2023 Public Safety Leadership Academy for qualified police executives. This intensive, 11-week residential professional training program will be held March 27, through June 9, 2023, at the Patrol's Training Academy.
Click HERE for more information on student requirements, and how to nominate an executive officer to attend this course. The deadline to submit is December 23, 2022.
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* You must virtually attend the live webinar for CLE credit. Please email your bar number to Holly Reese (hreesetsrp@gmail.com) at the conclusion of the webinar to have it submitted to the Supreme Court.
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.
NOVEMBER TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
Title: DUI Cases and the HIPAA Myth
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Time: 2p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Vin Petty, Florida TSRP, Ken Stecker, Michigan TSRP
Description: This presentation will cover the basic legal principles behind the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA. The presentation will also cover specific principles relating to criminal law and the built-in exceptions for law enforcement and prosecutors conducting investigations into criminal matters, such as DUI Cases. Lastly, the presentation will cover methods in jurisdictions to work more closely with hospitals. Attendees will learn methods to find hospital personnel to keep the lines of communication open on legal matters to better investigate DUI cases. Attendees will receive example forms that they can use to better navigate the legal roadblocks to obtaining protected health information when investigating DUI cases.
There is no charge to attend this webinar, but you must register in advance. Click here for complete information and registration information.
DECEMBER TRAFFIC TUESDAY WEBINAR
Title: Forensic Toxicology in DUI Cases: Bringing Out the Nerd in You
Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Time: 2p-3:30p Eastern
Presenter: Amy Miles, Director of Forensic Toxicology, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, UW School of Medicine and Public Health; National Resource Toxicologist
Description: You have received the toxicology report back from your laboratory for your DUI case. Listed on the report are drugs that you know are not the active parent, but you observed impairment. Now what? What did the subject ingest? What drugs are there as a result of the body's metabolism? Your lab is always a great resource, yet there is some preliminary information you can learn to help navigate the report before you must write an email or make a call to the lab. This presentation will discuss the differences between active drugs, their metabolites as well as various precursors and derivatives so that one can better understand and handle drug DUI cases using several examples of specific cases.
There is no charge to attend this webinar, but you must register in advance. Click here for complete information and registration information.
Reminder: Annual I-8000 Proficiency Testing
There are currently over 2,100 Ohio I-8000 operators who have not completed a successful proficiency or subject test in 2022. In order to maintain proficiency, each operator must successfully complete and upload a subject test or proficiency test each calendar year. Please go to the Breath Instrument Data Center on the Alcohol and Drug Testing page of the Ohio Department of Health website to check your current proficiency date.
If you have questions, please contact the Alcohol and Drug Testing Program at BADT@odh.ohio.gov or (614) 644-4609.
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.
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.
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.
