MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio (WKEF) – Law enforcement agencies throughout Montgomery County are promoting traffic safety.

They primarily take action against people who drive under the influence of alcohol.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Ohio State Patrol and police departments in several cities to reduce traffic violations.

They do this by setting up alcohol testing checkpoints, forming a joint traffic enforcement group and demonstrating how they are participating in the “National Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign”.

“We don’t want to have to knock on the door and tell somebody that their family member isn’t coming home because of a drunk driver,” said Captain Andy Flagg of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. “You know, this happens quite often, more often than we’d like, in Montgomery County, in the state of Ohio and across the country.”

Beginning August 16, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and many other agencies will participate in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled campaign.

In 2023, there were 512 OVI-related accidents in Montgomery County, 43 of which were fatal.

Law enforcement’s goal is to reduce these numbers by 2024 by raising awareness, educating the public and establishing alcohol screening checkpoints at several locations throughout the county.

Flagg continued, “If you take someone who likes to drive fast or without using turn signals or other little things, and you add a disability to that, it compounds those problems. The result is much more severe.”

In addition to promoting sober driving, authorities in Montgomery County have formed a joint traffic enforcement group along Interstate 75 and State Route 48.

The task force includes the County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Patrol, and police departments from Dayton, Vandalia, Moraine, and many other cities.

Their goal is to reduce traffic crime in these areas and promote cooperation between departments to ensure that all county roads become safer.

“To work together and fill the roles that need to be filled in these particular campaigns, we are trying to make sure that we create a safe county,” Flagg added.

The national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign begins August 16 and runs through September 2.