OVI checkpoints set up throughout northeast Ohio during Thanksgiving weekend

CLEVELAND - Checkpoints will be set up throughout northeast Ohio counties to crack down on impaired driving this Thanksgiving weekend.

"We put these check points in places where we've had past problems," said Lt. Bill Haymaker, commander of the Medina Post of the State Highway Patrol.

Law enforcement will be stepping up patrols in many counties including Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Medina counties now through Nov. 25.

Officers are looking for drunk drivers and will also be enforcing aggressive and distracted drivers.

"Our efforts in these types of enforcement activities is an ongoing project to make the roadways in North Royalton and Cuyahoga County as safe as possible for the public," said North Royalton Police Chief John Elek.

"Based on provisional data, there were 5 OVI-related fatal crashes in which 6 people were killed last year in Medina County, said Haymaker. "State troopers make on average 25,000 OVI arrests each year in an attempt to combat these dangerous drivers. OVI checkpoints are designed to not only deter impaired driving, but to proactively remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways."

Police departments urge those who plan to drink alcohol to designate a driver or make other travel arrangements before you drinking and getting behind the wheel.

Last year, in Ohio 17 people where killed over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 30% of those deaths were connected to alcohol said Haymaker.

Below are some of the known sobriety checkpoints in the area:

Brunswick: Rt. 303 west of Pearl Road from 8:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. It will be held in conjunction with nearby saturation patrols to aggressively combat alcohol-related injury and fatal crashes.

Parma: Ridge Road southbound from 7 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday.

Stark County: two checkpoints will be operating in Alliance. One on W. Ely Street and the other on W. State Street. The third checkpoint Wednesday night will be in Perry Township in the 4700 block of Southway St.

Summit County: sobriety checkpoints will be in place Friday, Nov. 23.

The patrols are funded through grants, allowing the extra enforcement on the roadways.