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Ohio Using Highway Messages to Fight Rise in Traffic Deaths

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Facing an uptick in traffic deaths so far this year, Ohio officials will start using existing digital message boards along highways in an effort to make drivers think more about their behavior.

The State Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation say 130 permanent message boards along roads in Ohio’s largest metropolitan areas will display the number of 2015 traffic deaths, along with safety slogans such as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

That information is scheduled appear during nights and weekends for at least the next three months. During weekdays, the boards will display the usual travel-time estimates and traffic congestion warnings.

Ohio logged more than 485 traffic deaths during the first half of 2015. That’s about 75 more than during the same period last year.