A provisional report released Monday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows 13 people died in motor vehicle crashes statewide during the days around Thanksgiving.
From Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, to Sunday, there were 24,913 reported vehicle incidents, 247 of which were in Athens County, according to the report.
During the five-day span, the patrol arrested 503 drivers statewide for alcohol-related offenses, according to the report. The 13 deaths are up from 12 last year, but down in comparison to 2011 and 2010, where there was 17 and 18 deaths, respectively.
Alcohol was involved in two crashes that together claimed three lives. One pedestrian was killed.
Seven were not wearing a safety belt, a fact that patrol superintendent Col. Paul A. Pride said shows most of the deaths might have been prevented if the motorists were wearing a safety belt.
“Motorists need to remember that wearing a safety belt is the single most important thing they can do to protect themselves during a crash,” Pride said in the release.
Although the amount of vehicle incidents might seem high, Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly said it was not out of the ordinary.
“You tend to have more (vehicle incidents or stops) around the holidays,” he said. “We didn’t see more activity than we usually do around the holidays.”
@XanderZellner
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