COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Labor Day holiday weekend was the safest in three years on Ohio roadways, according to data released Wednesday by the State highway Patrol.
The patrol says 11 people were killed in 11 fatal accidents during the reporting period of midnight Friday, Aug. 29 through 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
That was the lowest number for a Labor Day weekend since 10 people were killed over the same period in 2011. During the four-day holiday period last year, 16 fatalities were reported, according to the patrol’s website.
“Ohio’s troopers were out in full force this holiday weekend, and lives were undoubtedly saved because of it,” patrol superintendent Col. Paul Pride said.
Pride says troopers handed out citations to 35,000 motorists over the holiday weekend, an increase of five percent.
Troopers arrested 804 people for OVI, an increase of 4.3 percent, safety belt enforcement increased by 9.6 percent, and drug arrests increased by 31 percent, Pride said.