Ohio DOT, highway patrol team up for drugged driving awareness campaign

Ohio Welcome sign archThe Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are teaming up this holiday season to use the state’s 130 freeway message signs, plus portable highway signs, in an awareness campaign about drugged driving.

The department reports the state has seen a 25 percent increase in drugged driving crashes since 2012. This year alone there have been 3,574 drugged driving crashes, which makes up one-third of all impaired driving crashes.

ODOT says the signs will show messages on the increase in drugged driving crashes and promote the state’s Start Talking Initiative that encourages parents and community leaders to talk with children about the dangers of drug use.

“Law enforcement officers, first responders, tow truck drivers and the majority of our workers here at ODOT do their jobs alongside our roads and highways,” says ODOT director Jerry Wray. “Their safety is at risk every time someone gets behind the wheel while impaired. There is so much that needs to be done to address this problem, but one way we can start is by talking to young people about the dangers of drug use and impaired driving.”

More details on the Start Talking Initiative are available at www.StartTalking.Ohio.Gov.