08-03-2025
Police department increasing OVI patrols ahead of St. Patrick's Day
A local police department will be increasing OVI patrols ahead of St. Patrick's Day.
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The Miami Township Police Department will be taking park in the St. Patrick's Day Blitz from March 10-17, 2025.
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Law Enforcement officers will be on patrol and 'will show zero tolerance for impaired driving,' according to a release from the police department.
The St. Patrick's Day Blitz is funded through the Ohio Transportation Safety Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
It allows officers to focus more attention on reducing crashes, increase OVI patrols and participate in nation safety campaigns.
'Anytime you take an impaired driver off the road, you are preventing a potentially deadly incident,' Acting Chief of Police James McCarty, said. 'Driving while impaired is deadly and illegal and we have zero tolerance for anyone driving under in influence of drugs or alcohol.'
It is important to designate a sober driver if planning to drink. Here are some more tips offered by the NHTSA and MTPD:
Plan for a safe ride home before you start the party.
Choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver.
If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Take their keys and help them arrange a sober ride home.
If you drink, do not drive for any reason. Call a taxi, a ride service, or a sober friend.
If you are hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver behind the wheel.
Always wear your seat belt. It is the best protection against impaired drivers.
There were 13,524 fatal alcohol-related crashes nationwide in 2024, average one DUI fatality every 39 minutes according to the NHTSA.
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