Sheriff’s Office Receives Traffic Safety Grant Award

October 11, 2022 by Staff Report

The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded $61,073 in federal traffic safety funding, Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand announced in an Oct. 11 press release.

The funding comes through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, which is part of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

“These funds are critical to ensure that we are doing everything possible to reduce traffic fatalities,” Hildenbrand said.

Based on crash data, the sheriff’s office and its partners at the state level have identified fatal and serious injury crashes, speed, alcohol impaired and drugged driving, and seat belt use as priority areas for enforcement in Geauga County.

Crash data shows that from January 2017 through September 2022, Geauga County had 68 fatal crashes and 1,681 crashes that resulted in injuries. During 2021 alone, the county had 23 fatal crashes.

To reduce these tragic statistics, Hildenbrand said sheriff’s deputies will be conducting high-visibility enforcement, working extra hours and conducting education events on traffic safety.

“The office will be using extra patrols on roads identified as problem areas with emphasis on major thoroughfares,” he added.

There were 1,058 fatal crashes on Ohio’s roads in 2021, down from 1,153 in 2020.

“We ask that motorists do their part by obeying posted speed limits, using seat belts and by not driving while impaired,” Hildenbrand said. “Please remember the old saying, ‘Buckle-up for Safety,’ because  the life you save may be your own.”