Seven fatal car crashes have occurred so far in 2022 north of downtown Dayton on Main Street. So this week law enforcement agencies partnered for a special patrol to enforce “crash causing violations” around that stretch of road.
Law enforcement spends a lot of time and attention on dangerous intersections in the area. They do so in several ways: OVI checkpoints and traffic cameras.
Ohio State Trooper Sgt. Chris Colbert said people in the area need to see law enforcement is around.
"People see our cars, they slow down for a few minutes. Is it a long term thing? No. But does it affect traffic positively for a short period of time? Do people sometimes pay a little bit more attention for just a few nights? Absolutely. Is that a good thing? I would think so," Colbert said.
Colbert pulled people over for not wearing their seatbelts, speeding, not staying in lanes, and running stop signs. He gave citations to some of them, just a warning to others.
He said though the citations may seem minor to the people that get them, not following traffic laws can have serious consequences.
“You can either pay a $100 fine or you can die when you run a stop sign.” He said, “So how minor is a traffic violation”?
Chris Welter is a reporter and corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
