COLUMBUS – Lending evidence to national estimates that indicate as many as one in four drivers during certain times of the night have been drinking, a new report released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol found that Ohio alcohol-related traffic fatalities have increased 26 percent over the last five years.

Additionally the report concluded that:

The report, available at www.statepatrol.ohio.gov, takes an in-depth look at the impact of impaired driving in Ohio from 2001 to 2005. Overall, 12 Ohio counties recorded 1,000 or more alcohol-related traffic injuries over the last five years. A significant number of alcohol-related traffic crashes occurred in Ohio’s six large metropolitan counties, including Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, and Summit. Cuyahoga has led the state in alcohol-related traffic crashes (7,431), followed by Franklin (6,903) and Hamilton (5,507) counties.

Each year, 50,000 Ohioans are convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs and/ or alcohol (OVI). The most dangerous drivers are considered “habitual” offenders, who have received five or more OVI convictions in their lifetime. Currently, there are 33,000 habitual offenders in Ohio.

Previous research conducted by Harvard University economists found that every weekday night from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., one in seven motorists had been drinking, with the peak hours for drinking and driving occurring between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., when the rate changes to one in four drivers. Motorists are encouraged to report suspected impaired drivers by calling 1-877-7-PATROL or 1-800-GRAB DUI.

Labor Day is traditionally a dangerous holiday period on Ohio roads, particularly for impaired driving crashes. Last Labor Day holiday in Ohio, nine of the 21 people killed were involved in alcohol-related crashes.