TOLEDO (WTOL) - If you are driving around Toledo between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. from now until the weekend after Thanksgiving, Toledo Police will be joining you.
"One of the biggest issues is the weekend of Thanksgiving. It's when the kids are coming home from college and next to New Year's, it seems to be one of the biggest drinking times of the year,” said Toledo Police Traffic Sgt. Tom LaForge.
From Nov. 14 until the weekend after Thanksgiving, more Toledo Police officers will be actively patrolling the roads and pulling over offenders. They are looking for speeding drivers and motorists choosing to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Statewide, police are seeing 100 fewer fatal crashes this year than they did this time last year. It’s a downward trend they want to continue.
Officers say they're not out to write tickets, but they will if they have to.
"We just want people to be safe, you know, if you’re gonna be out drinking, have a designated driver, call a cab, or call a friend, call a parent even,” said LaForge.
Two federal grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration make these traffic safety pushes possible. They are administered through the State of Ohio Department of Criminal Justice, and pay overtime to the additional officers assigned to these shifts.
If you choose to celebrate this Thanksgiving, Toledo Police are asking you to do so responsibly.
