Ohio using highway messages to fight rise in traffic deaths

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 Ohio Department of Transportation say 130 permanent message boards along roads in Ohio's largest metropolitan and high-traffic areas will display safety catchphrases, such as "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over," along with the updated total of traffic deaths for 2015.

For the Fourth of July holiday, portable message boards — the kind typically used to alert travelers to upcoming construction zones and lane shifts — will be used to share similar safety messaging along roads in some more rural areas, said Sgt. Vincent Shirey, a spokesman for the patrol.