Briefs: Drive Sober campaign, Ohio 61 road work, Girl Scouts Foresters for a Day event

Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
·2 min read

Motorists to see stepped up sobriety enforcement during the July 4th holiday

Local law enforcement in Crawford County will be teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement impaired driving campaign. The primary goal of the increased law enforcement presence will be to help prevent tragedies previously seen around the July 4th holiday.

According to NHTSA, 13,384 motor vehicle crash-related deaths in 2021 involved alcohol-impaired drivers. This represented 31% of all traffic fatalities in the United States for the year, and a 14.2% increase from 2020. That same year, 538 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes over the July 4th holiday alone (6 p.m. July 2 to 5:59 a.m. July 6). Thirty-nine percent (212) of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. With many Fourth of July festivities wrapping up in the evening or late at night, more cars are on the roads at night. Over the 2021 July 4th holiday period, of the 212 people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, 82% of those fatalities occurred in nighttime crashes (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.).

There are plenty of options to help impaired drivers get home safely, such as designating a sober driver or calling a taxi or rideshare. If you see a drunk driver on the road, do not hesitate to contact local law enforcement.

Road work planned on Ohio 61

CRESTLINE — ODOT says Ohio 61, between Ohio 97 and the village of Crestline corporation limits, will have single lane closures for a resurfacing project this week. Traffic will be maintained by flaggers.

The entire project is expected to be completed in September.

ODNR invites Girl Scouts to be Foresters for a Day

COLUMBUS — As part of the Girl Scout Tree Promise, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry is calling on Girl Scouts to become Foresters for a Day. Events hosted led by forestry professionals will teach Girl Scouts about Ohio’s state forests.

A Girl Scout poses with Smokey Bear during forestry event.
A Girl Scout poses with Smokey Bear during forestry event.

Girl Scouts will learn about forest ecology, forest management, forest health, careers in forestry, and how to identify Ohio trees. They will have the opportunity to learn alongside foresters with various backgrounds and explore the multiple pathways to a forestry career. Attendees will be grouped according to their level in Girl Scouts. Families may participate in the same group as their scout.

Events will take place rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 22 at Hocking State Forest in Rockbridge and Sept. 9 at Mohican-Memorial State Forest in nearby Perrysville. Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to earn their Tree Promise Badge and a special Ohio Division of Forestry badge.

For more information and to register, go to ohiodnr.gov.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement, Ohio 61 resurfacing