CLEVELAND (WJW) – Eye-detecting technology and training will help Ohio law enforcement spot impaired drivers and get them off the roads. 

According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office was given a $15,087 grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association and Responsibility.org to provide more training to officers. 

Officers will be trained to use DAX Evidence Recorders, which record eye movements and other physical responses of suspected impaired drivers, according to the Ohio DPS. 

The OTSO will then be able to use that video to develop training for law enforcement agencies to help expand their ability to detect impaired drivers.

“Since 2018, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has made over 100,000 OVI arrests. Nearly one in four were suspected to involve marijuana or other drug impairment,” OTSO Director Emily Davidson said. “This behavior must be addressed to save lives. By providing law enforcement with the tools, resources, and training to better recognize impairment, officers can identify and remove dangerous drivers from the road.”

DAX Evidence Recorders will eventually provide prosecutors with audio and video evidence to help settle impaired driving cases before they go to court, which will keep officers in the field, the Ohio DPS said. 

According to the Ohio DPS, over the past five years, OVI-related deaths have been steadily rising in the state. There were 668 OVI-related deaths in Ohio in 2022.