T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Drivers were responsible on the roadway in the Belmont County area during the July 4 holiday according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Motorists are reminded to move to the left lane or slow down when a vehicle is pulled onto the side of the road.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Area residents largely celebrated the Independence Day holiday safely and remained sober when they took to the roads, according to Lt. Brian McFarland of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s St. Clairsville post.

He said few arrests were made Monday and Tuesday for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.

“We arrested two people for OVI over the reporting period for the holiday, which started on Monday and would end on Tuesday. We issued over 200 tickets,” he said. “We assisted 13 motorists, investigated three crashes that were non-injury crashes, we issued 39 warnings and seven seat belt tickets.”

McFarland said the two OVI arrests were the result of traffic stops, not of crashes. In general, he said traffic was heavy but not exceptional.

“Traffic we thought was about as usual, nothing outrageous. I think it may have been with the holiday falling in the middle of the week. Most of the traveling was on that weekend, so maybe that’s why there was a little bit of reduction on Monday-Tuesday,” McFarland said.

He added weekend traffic was heavy “at times,” but troopers were out in force and on the lookout for signs of reckless or distracted driving.

According to reports from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, statewide 11 people lost their lives in nine traffic crashes during the July 4 reporting period. Impairment was determined to be a factor in two of those crashes and a safety belt was not used in three of those crashes.

Troopers made 133 arrests for impaired driving and 96 for drug-related charges. The patrol responded to 249 crashes and rendered assistance to 1,067 motorists. In total, troopers made 13,634 contacts with the motoring public.

During last year’s July 4 reporting period, July 1-July 4, a total of 16 fatal crashes killed 16 people. Of those, 11 crashes and 11 fatalities involved alcohol and/or drugs. Of the seven fatalities in which safety belts were available, five were unbelted. There were seven motorcyclists and two pedestrians also killed during this time frame in 2022.

Motorists are encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers or drug activity.

Locally, McFarland reminds drivers they are required to move over to the left lane or slow down should they see an emergency vehicle pulled over on the side of the road.

“The week of July 16-July 22 we’ll have a ‘move over enforcement blitz,'” he said, adding that law enforcement, the Ohio Department of Transportation, tow trucks and other vehicles may be pulled over to conduct business. “That’ll run six days, Sunday through Saturday.”