Even one fatal crash in a given year is one too many, and area law enforcement are becoming increasingly concerned about the number of motor vehicle accidents in Logan County that have claimed lives this year, as the total fatal crashes climbed to nine July 19.
In comparison, last year at this time, there had been three fatal crashes in Logan County.
“These situations weigh very heavily on us,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Post Commander Lt. Molly Harris said Thursday. “It’s the hardest part of our job, having to inform family members that a loved one has passed away in a crash. Those moments always stick with us — we hear stories about all of the opportunities that the person had ahead of them that have been cut short.
“We want to do as much as we can to prevent another tragedy.”
Stepping up to combat this weighty issue, troopers from the Marysville Post and deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office are partnering for a targeted traffic enforcement blitz that begins Monday and continues for two weeks.
Extra units from both agencies will be on Logan County roads during this time. Troopers and deputies will be watching for a variety of violations and signs of impaired driving.
“Some of the violations we’ll be looking for include failure to yield from a stop sign and distracted driving in the form of driving left of center and marked lanes violations, along with speed violations, which is the number one killer in Ohio,” Lt. Harris said.
“We’ll also be looking for seat belt use and impaired driving,” LCSO Deputy Jeff Anspach said. “Impaired driving was a factor in four out of nine of the fatal crashes this year.”
The law enforcement officials urged area motorists to plan ahead when choosing to drink alcohol during this summer season and to always assign a designated driver.
Other causes of fatal crashes this year have included failure to yield, speed, driving left of center and failure to control, Deputy Anspach and Lt. Harris related.
Throughout the enforcement blitz, deputies and troopers will be concentrating on daylight hours, as the majority of the fatal crashes this year have occurred during “working hours” from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the law enforcement officials said. The initiative also will target the eastern part of the county, where the majority of deadly crashes have happened this year.
“We have a heavy flow of traffic during the daytime in the eastern part of the county, with workers commuting to and from Honda etc.,” Lt. Harris said.
“We’ll be focusing much of the enforcement blitz in that part of the county east of U.S. Route 68, but also in the Indian Lake area with the busy summertime activities.”