COLUMBUS, Ohio – The State Highway Patrol says 19 people died in crashes around Ohio during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
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The preliminary total covering last Wednesday through Sunday is up from comparable periods during the past few years. Seventeen people were killed around the holiday in 2013 and in 2011, and a dozen died in 2012.
The patrol says four of the 19 people who died were pedestrians. Five were involved in crashes related to someone operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Troopers say they stopped more than 440 drivers for OVI. About 1,300 people were cited for not wearing seat belts, and about 650 were cited for aggressive driving.
Provisional statistics through November of this year show that OVI-related fatal crashes and those claiming the lives of people not wearing safety belts have both declined in the first 11 months of 2014, compared to the same period a year ago.