Solon Police ‘cracking down’ on impaired driving with OVI checkpoint

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Solon Police will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on an upcoming Friday in the city of Solon.

Police said that the checkpoint is designed to prevent impaired drivers from hurting themselves or others, as well as educate the public about the dangers of drunk driving.

According to a press release from the Solon Police Department, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 37% of all 2020 traffic deaths in Cuyahoga County.

They said this accounts for 41 preventable deaths in Cuyahoga County alone in just one year.

“Since impaired driving accounts for a large percentage of our region’s traffic safety deaths, it is imperative that we find ways to keep impaired drivers off the roadways and, through active enforcement programs such as sobriety checkpoints, convince those who are impaired not to get behind the wheel in the first place,” said Sgt. Anthony Horvath of the Solon Police Department.

The Solon Police Department said they are a member of the Cuyahoga County OVI Task Force, a coalition of 45 law enforcement agencies throughout the county that work together to make roadways safer by combating impaired and aggressive driving.

In Solon, police said they use a dual approach, which allows them to not only catch impaired drivers, but also focus on high crash areas.

This includes sobriety checkpoints, where all vehicles are stopped, when traffic permits, to evaluate drivers for impairment, as well as saturation patrols, where officers target specific areas looking for excessive speed, weaving or driving left of center, according to Solon Police.

“We want the public to know we are out there,” Horvath said. “We want people to read about the checkpoints and tell everyone they know that we’re cracking down on impaired driving. Our goal is for everyone on our roadways to be safe.”

If you are going to be drinking, Solon Police want to remind you to make smart choices such as:

• designating a driver

• calling a cab or using a rideshare service

• staying at your home or a hotel

• calling a friend or family member

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