(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Law enforcement officers across Ohio are joining officers from 10 states in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Regions 5 and 7 on July 26 for this year’s Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign. The other participating states are Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
This one-day campaign is an effort to address a continued trend of speeding and dangerous driving behaviors leading to deaths and serious injuries in these 11 states. In Ohio, speeding is involved in about 30% of all deadly crashes. Early NHTSA estimates for 2022 show 1,278 people were killed in crashes in Ohio, which represents a slight decrease of 5.6% when compared to 2021 (1,354 fatalities).
Speed-related crashes can be deadly, but they are preventable. This campaign will help raise awareness on the dangers of speeding and save lives on Ohio’s roadways.
During the campaign, officers will use increased, zero-tolerance enforcement and communicate to road users the importance of obeying the speed limit. High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) is a proven countermeasure for reinforcing driver compliance with posted speed limits.
Traffic crashes that result in death due to speeding are higher in the summer months. The highest fatalities occur between June and September.
According to crash statistics from Ohio in 2022:
- 11% of all crashes were speed-related.
- 351 people died on Ohio’s roadways in speed-related crashes.
- 1,456 people were seriously injured (that’s almost four people per day).
- 40% of Ohio’s speed-related deaths occurred between June and September.
“Speeding is a factor in far too many crashes and deaths on our roads,” said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson. “We are committed to saving lives, and these statistics show why it is important to convince drivers to slow down and follow the posted speed limit.”
According to NHTSA, drivers who speed are also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, such as not wearing a seat belt, drinking and driving, or using a cell phone while driving.
This is the second year Ohio is participating in the Speed Awareness Day campaign. Last year, 20 law enforcement agencies reported their campaign results to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO):
- Officers issued a total of 918 citations.
- 588 (64%) of those citations were for speed-related violations.
- Ohio officers also made 133 arrests during speed enforcement detail.
- The Ohio State Highway Patrol recovered six firearms during speed enforcement detail.