SAFE Delaware, law enforcement, and mental health professionals gathered outside the Delaware County Courthouse Friday to kick off the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign.

The campaign began on Aug. 16 and will run through Sept. 4. SAFE Delaware Coordinator Jackie Bain said the aim of the campaign is to decrease impaired driving with more enforcement and awareness.

“Impaired driving is one of the deadliest and most frequently committed crimes, and it is a crime,” Bain said. “It’s one that is preventable but has become a very serious safety epidemic in our county. Our message to all of you is very simple and very blunt: ‘Drive sober or get pulled over.’ Ending tragedies caused by impaired drivers is up to us.”

Lt. Robert Curry, commander of the Delaware Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said that from 2020-2022, there were 38,736 OVI-related crashes in Ohio and 2,131 people were killed, with 23,245 injured.

“As part of law enforcement’s ongoing efforts to make Ohio’s roadways safer for everyone to travel, officers continue to focus on impaired driving every day, every shift,” Curry said. “When you drive impaired, you put lives at risk of everyone on the roadway.”

Curry encouraged residents to “plan ahead, make responsible decisions, and drive sober” when heading out this season.

“State troopers and local law enforcement and county partners work diligently at removing impaired drivers from our roadway through enforcement, visibility and education,” Curry said. “From 2020-2022, the Delaware Post charged 1,481 individuals with OVI. … The worst part of being on scene of a fatal crash involving alcohol or drugs is knowing you’re going to have to tell the family members their loved ones aren’t coming home. These crashes are senseless and preventable. We can’t fight this battle alone. We’re reaching out to you to help us commit to making Ohio’s roadways safer by planning ahead to designate a driver and insisting everyone in your vehicle is buckled up.”

Community health program manager from the Delaware Public Health District, Kelsey Kuhlman, shared statistics for binge drinking at the event and said binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks in a single occasion for men and four or more drinks in a single occasion for women. Kuhlman said the Delaware Public Health District’s Community Health Assessment that was publish last year revealed that 33% of adults in the county define themselves as binge drinkers, a rise from 22% during the last health assessment in 2018 and more than double the national average of 16%.

“Clearly the data tells us we’re headed in the wrong direction which can lead to larger problems with substance use and addiction,” Kuhlman said.

Kuhlman added the health district has partnered with Prevention Awareness Support Services, Envision Partnerships, and the Delaware County District Library to help residents examine their relationship with alcohol, learn about the myths of alcohol and dangers related to repeated use at a “Minimize Risk, Maximize Life” event at the main branch of the library on Sept. 13.

Kuhlman said “Minimize Risk, Maximize Life” is “low-risk drinking course” for adults held over one two-hour session from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“This course is designed to help those who use alcohol examine their relationship with it in a nonjudgmental setting,” Kuhlman said. “Participants can evaluate their risk while encouraging a healthy lifestyle.”

Kuhlman said course participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Lisa Dooley, a program coordinator at the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, warned of the dangers of addiction and encouraged residents to seek help if they’re struggling.

“Addiction is a slow killer,” Dooley said. “It’s insidious, It does not discriminate. Because it’s so slow, one bad decision becomes another becomes another. … It’s hard to ask for help. It’s hard to put yourself out there. You don’t want people to know your vulnerabilities. When I made that decision to ask for help and to get on that different path … it started slowly but I turned my life around. You can make a difference, you can make a change.”

Dooley said her recovery journey started in 2013, and she has been completely sober for six years.

“I’m not looking back,” Dooley said. “You can change. It is possible.”

More information about SAFE Delaware can be found at https://www.facebook.com/safedelaware/ and more information about Minimize Risk, Maximize Life can be found by contacting Community Health Specialist Aly Sawyer at [email protected].

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.