More patrols on the road for New Year holiday

Drivers can expect to see more flashing police lights on the roads tonight and New Year’s Day.

Local law enforcement agency officials say more police officers have been patrolling the streets this holiday season and will continue to watch for dangerous drivers through the New Year.

“We’re going to be very vigilante about enforcing impaired driving laws,” Lt. Craig Cvetan of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. “Anytime there’s a holiday, when we know there’s going to be increased travel, we step up enforcement.”

Last year, Ohio State Patrol troopers recorded a total of 520 car crashes and impaired driving cases on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Five of those crashes were fatal and one of them was the result of drunk driving.

It was New Year’s Eve last year when 20-year-old Aaron Jones, of Hamilton, died after crashing his car near a Hamilton park. Jones was intoxicated and had left a party in Fairfield where alcohol was allegedly served to the minor.

Hamilton Sgt. Ed Buns said police officers will be on high alert for drunk drivers this year following the fatal crash.

“People don’t want to be responsible for injuring or killing people, family, or themselves,” Burns said. “You are responsible for what goes into your body.”

Buns said booze isn’t the only problem during the New Year’s holiday. Drivers who stay up late partying and then drive early in the morning can pose a risk, too.

“A lot of people fall asleep at the wheel because of fatigue or texting and driving,” Buns said.

Police and law enforcement agencies typically receive federal and state grants to increase patrols around this time of year, said Sgt. Steve Ream of the Middletown Police Department.

Ream believes advertising campaigns that warn drivers to stay sober have worked. He couldn’t immediately provide data but said alcohol-related crashes have been on the decline in recent years.

“We’ve done a lot better job in the last 20 years of getting the message out,” Ream said. “People are making more plans, getting hotel reservations or buying the designated driver dinner for the evening.”

Butler County Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said sheriff’s deputies would also be out on the roads in fuller force through Jan. 2. A spokeswoman with West Chester Twp. also said the police department will “take into account the holidays and even greater potential for impaired drivers due to celebrations” but declined to comment further.

Highway drivers who spot aggressive or suspicious drivers this holiday are encouraged to dial #677 to be connected to the Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatch.

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