The checkpoints and saturation patrols will be focused in different parts of Montgomery County where OVI-related crashes have occurred. Checkpoints will be announced three days before they take place and will be conducted by the Combined Agency OVI Task of Montgomery County.
The saturation patrols and checkpoints are to help detect and remove impaired drivers from the roadway, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Andy Flagg said.
“We also use this an educational tool,” he said. “We may make stops for things where individuals are not impaired, but we have an opportunity to explain to them why we’re out, what we’re doing and what the purpose is.”
Flagg noted while recreational use of marijuana is legal in Ohio, people cannot drive while impaired by it.
“The legalization of marijuana has not done anything to authorize or allow an individual to get into a vehicle under impaired conditions,” he said. “It has not changed our course of action. We will still be looking for those indicators.”
Last year there were 512 OVI-related crashes in Montgomery County, with 43 fatalities and 340 injuries, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. As of Wednesday, there have been 314 OVI-related crashes with 27 fatalities and 213 injuries.
Flagg said there are enough crashes daily from speeding and other dangerous driving habits. When impairment is also a factor, it only emphasizes those problems.
“We don’t want to have to go knock on that door and tell somebody their family member is not coming home because of an impaired driver,” he said. “When you’ve got driving patterns and concerns to begin with and then you start factoring in people that aren’t making responsible decisions, those results are far more tragic.”
The Combined Agency OVI Task of Montgomery County includes 15 police departments, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
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