Ohio Thanksgiving traffic deaths at 7-yr. low

12/1/2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio The State Highway Patrol says the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend was the safest in seven years on Ohio roads.

The patrol said Monday that the state's law enforcement agencies reported 11 traffic deaths from 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The number of fatalities was the lowest since Thanksgiving 2001, when 10 people were killed.

Last year, there were 17 deaths from accidents that occurred on Ohio roads during the Thanksgiving period.

Ohio troopers joined state police throughout Midwest in stepping up patrols over the holiday weekend. Officials say 500 motorists were arrested in Ohio on suspicion of driving under the influence.