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Highway Patrol looks to correct distracted driving

GALLIPOLIS — The Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation Friday announced a Distracted Driving Safety Corridor on Ohio 7 in Gallia County.

Faced with a growing issue of distracted driving, the new corridor in Gallia County will go from just south of Ohio 218 to the Meigs County line on Ohio 7. It will see targeted enforcement and more signs reminding motorists to ditch the distractions and focus on driving.

Ohio 7 has seen the highest number of distracted driving crashes for any route in Gallia County since 2019 and will be a major focus for troopers in 2021. According to the state of Ohio, 10,753 distracted driving crashes occurred statewide in 2020 resulting in 29 fatalities.

“The dangers of distracted driving are apparent and real, but motorists still engage in this dangerous behavior,” said Lt. Barry Call, Gallipolis Post commander. “This corridor is meant to bring awareness, education and enforcement to the problem of distracted driving.”

This past week, Transportation Department crews installed signs to alert drivers when they enter the corridor and warn there is zero tolerance when it comes to unsafe driving behaviors. Motorists should expect to see additional troopers in the corridor, as well as increased enforcement of the violations associated with these distracted driving crashes.

“We’re pleased to partner with the Patrol on ODOT District 10’s first Distracted Driving Safety Corridor,” said ODOT District 10 Deputy Director Darla Miller. “Distracted drivers compromise the safety of everyone on the road. By establishing this corridor in Gallia County, we hope to raise awareness, reduce crashes and save lives.”

The public is encouraged to use #677 to report dangerous or impaired drivers, as well as drug activity. Additional crash information is available from the OSTATS dashboard at: https://www.statepatrol.ohio.gov/ostats.aspx#gsc.tab=0

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