It was a dangerous holiday and weekend in Richland County and across the state over the Fourth of July, according to numbers released this week by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
In fact, the county ranked as the ninth highest statewide in terms of reported incidents (1,252). That includes all manner of incidents in which the Patrol was involved, not just car accidents.
In each category, statewide numbers were up by very large percentages over 2018 figures. The 809 accidents reported as “crashes,” for instance, was up over 168% over 2018’s 358 incidents. Other large percentage increases involved:
- OVI (Operating a vehicle under the influence) — 134.8%
- Aggressive Driving — 98.3%
- Drugs — 81.7%
- Felony Arrests — 81.6%
There were 12 fatalities during the holiday reporting period, none of them in Richland County. The nearest were in Franklin and Ottawa Counties. This number compares to eight last year.
Four of those fatal accidents were known or suspected to have involved impaired/OVI drivers; only two were known to have been using seatbelts.
Four fatal accidents involved motorcycle operators.
