Fourth of July Travel Numbers

Columbus, OH- The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 16 people lost their lives in 15 traffic crashes during the July Fourth reporting period.

The reporting period began Wednesday, July 3 at midnight and ended Sunday, July 7 at 11:59p.m.

In nine of the fatalities in which safety belts were available, seven were unbelted.  Throughout the holiday reporting period, troopers issued nearly 3,000 safety belt and child safety seat citations.

Troopers also made 438 arrests for impaired driving and 72 for drug-related charges. The Patrol responded to 648 crashes and made 34,209 traffic contacts in total. Additionally, 1,368 citations were issued for distracted driving. Troopers also provided assistance to 2,449 motorists.