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Thanksgiving travel is expected to hit a record in Ohio as drivers hit the roads
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — This Thanksgiving travel season is expected to hit a record in Ohio. AAA estimates 3.2 million people will be traveling in Ohio – with almost 3 million of those on the roads.
“Across the country we see a tow truck driver is killed every six days,” said Kara Hitchens with AAA. “So we want to make sure that drivers are aware of the ‘move over’ law that they can keep them safe and keep themselves safe as well.”
The Ohio Highway Patrol will be highly visible and highly active to deal with issues as they come up, said OSP’s Sgt. Tyler Ross. But he said drivers need to make sure to give tow trucks, road crews and troopers room to work.
“We don’t like to be on the side of the road any more than you do. It’s not a safe place to be, but that goes with paying attention to the roadway in front of you, because our roadways quickly change,” Ross said. “That happens by putting your phone down and paying attention.”
Ross says 13 people were killed in a dozen fatal crashes last Thanksgiving – and five of those crashes involved drunk driving. This is the second holiday season under Ohio’s distracted driving law, which makes using phones for texting or other purposes a primary offense.
Cold temperatures over the next few days could turn rain into snow, and Hitchens said that’s important for drivers who might want to check their windshield wipers but also for those who are flying. She said the airline’s mobile app will have the latest available info on delays or cancellations.
And this year, travelers in electric vehicles in Ohio will have access to more charging stations this holiday. There are 15 EV charging stations open in Ohio – 13 more than last year at this time, thanks to the $7.5 billion New Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to install fast charging stations around the country.
“Nearly half of all the stations open today are in Ohio as part of this federal program,” said Breanna Badanes with the DriveOhio program at the Ohio Department of Transportation. “All 50 states have received funding to install these chargers, but Ohio is really led the pack the whole way. We had the first station in the country open in December of last year.”
There are six more EV charging stations under construction and expected to be open by the end of this year.
Ohio has awarded more than $30 million for 42 stations to be installed. Each has multiple ports and can charge most EVs in a half hour, and they’re located along interstates and major state routes. Companies that have them on their properties have kicked in some of the cost, but use of the charging stations isn’t free.