(From the Ohio State Highway Patrol)

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting six fatal crashes resulting in seven fatalities on Ohio’s roadways during the 2023-2024 New Year’s holiday according to provisional statistics.

Of the seven fatalities, five of those killed were not wearing an available safety belt.

This is a decrease from the four-day reporting period last year when 13 fatalities were reported.

The four-day reporting period began at midnight on Friday, December 29, 2023, and ran through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 1, 2024.

Troopers made 3,259 traffic enforcement contacts; including 272 OVI arrests, 106 distracted driving and 409 safety belt citations.

The public is encouraged to continue using #677 to report dangerous or impaired drivers, as well as drug activity.