CENTERBURG — Motorists driving on U.S. 36/Ohio 3 between Mount Vernon and the Delaware County line may have noticed freshly painted, white horizontal lines, spaced a quarter mile apart over the distance of a mile. The lines will help the Ohio State Highway Patrol crack down on speeding and other moving violations in the area, which, according to the OSHP, contribute to many serious accidents each year.

“We’ve had four fatalities on U.S. 36 in Knox County this year,” said Lt. Chad McGinty, commander of the Mount Gilead Post of the OSHP. “Three of them have been between Mount Vernon and the Delaware County line.”

McGinty said the fatal accidents were not speed related, but involved motorists going left of center, and improper passing accidents.

“We’re looking at all moving violations, not just speed,” he said.

McGinty said planes will be in the air this week; extra troopers are already patrolling the area, and should be very visible to motorists.

Pilots will not only time drivers’ speed, but watch for left-of-center and passing violations, as well as failure to yield. McGinty said the pilots have great visibility of drivers’ actions from the air.

“Pilots can look at a significant stretch of roadway,” he explained.

He said the new operation is not designed as a speed trap, but rather as an effort to reduce accidents, injuries and fatalities in the area.

“We’re not trying to hide anything. It’s a targeted enforcement effort,” he explained. “The basic concept we’re working with is we want people to know we’re out there.

“When they see our cars, when they see our troopers working out there, at that point we want them thinking,” McGinty said.

Explaining that driver inattention leads to most of the serious wrecks on the route, McGinty said he believes the increased police presence will prompt drivers not only to slow down, but also pay attention to what they are doing.

“At that point we want them thinking, ‘I want to do everything right, I don’t want to have contact with that officer,’” McGinty said. “Normally when they see our cars, everybody gets more focused.”

McGinty said most commuters who regularly drive the route have probably sat in traffic at one point, waiting for a crash scene to be cleared.

“Usually it’s somebody that’s not paying attention, and they end up killing somebody,” he said.

McGinty said he and other members of the patrol hope the new effort will save lives.

“It’s a bad road, and we’re trying to clean it up,” McGinty said. “We want to make that a safer roadway.”