Ohio Troopers Nearly Hit During a Sobriety Test: Drug-Impaired OVI, Field Sobriety Tests and the Move Over Law

Two Ohio troopers are standing at the edge of a road with a woman, running her through a field sobriety test. Then an SUV comes from the other direction, crosses the road and cuts through the grass right where they're standing. It misses all three of them and hits the back of the patrol car.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol shared the video this week, and it has since spread through local and national news. This explainer covers what the patrol and news outlets have reported, how drug-impaired OVI works under Ohio law, what field sobriety tests are, and what Ohio's move over law asks of drivers. It's general information, not legal advice. Both drivers were arrested, not convicted. Neither has been named, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

What happened, according to OSHP and news reports

The facts below come from WHIO (via K99.1FM), WKRC Local 12, ABC 6 (WSYX), 10TV, ABC News and First for Autos on Yahoo. Each cites a post on the patrol's social media.

• When and where. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in northwest Ohio. The troopers were from OSHP's Toledo Post. The reports don't give an exact road or time.
• The first stop. Troopers were giving standardized field sobriety tests to a woman suspected of impaired driving. Her vehicle was pulled over on the right shoulder.
• The near miss. WHIO reports an SUV coming from the opposite direction cut across the road and went up onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing the two troopers and the woman. First for Autos describes it as driving through what appears to be the front lawn of a home.
• The crash. ABC News reports the SUV hit the back of the patrol car.
• What the driver said. According to WHIO, the SUV driver told troopers he had looked down to change the radio station: "And then I looked up, and 'Boom.'"
• The arrests. OSHP says both drivers were arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired. Reports say the SUV driver is suspected of drug impairment. No one was injured.

"Incidents like this serve as a stark reminder that impaired driving due to drugs and/or alcohol puts everyone on Ohio's roadways at risk," the patrol wrote. It says troopers have arrested 12,540 drivers for impaired driving so far in 2026, including 2,968 attributed to drug impairment. OSHP also asks drivers to call #677 to report a suspected impaired driver.

10TV calls it dashcam video. The patrol posted it on its Facebook page. We don't host or embed the footage; watch it through the linked reports.

What the video shows, and what it doesn't

The camera captures the distance between the SUV and the people on the roadside, and how little time anyone had to react. It doesn't show any test results, what either driver had taken, or what was happening inside the SUV before it left the road. Those questions are for the court. Our guide on how to watch police bodycam footage critically explains what a single fixed camera can and can't prove.

Drug-impaired driving: how OVI works in Ohio

OVI means operating a vehicle under the influence. The law, Ohio Revised Code 4511.19, isn't limited to alcohol. It gives prosecutors two routes:

• Impairment, division (A)(1)(a). Operating a vehicle while "under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them." No specific test number is required.
• Prohibited drug concentrations, division (A)(1)(j). The statute lists set levels in blood or urine for drugs and metabolites, including amphetamine, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamine, PCP and marijuana metabolite.

That's why a driver can be arrested for OVI after passing a breath test. Breath tests measure alcohol, and drug cases usually turn on blood or urine results plus the officer's observations.

The penalties are the same structure as an alcohol OVI. A first offense within ten years is a first-degree misdemeanor with a mandatory three-day jail term (or, in some cases, a three-day drivers' intervention program), a fine of $565 to $1,075 and a license suspension, under division (G)(1)(a). Our Timberlake explainer walks through the penalty tiers in more detail. None of it applies without a conviction.

Field sobriety tests: the basics

The troopers in this video were in the middle of a standardized field sobriety test (SFST). NHTSA's SFST training materials describe a battery of three tests:

1. Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN). The officer has the driver follow a stimulus, such as a pen, with their eyes and watches for involuntary jerking.
2. Walk-and-turn. Nine heel-to-toe steps along a line, a turn, and nine steps back while counting out loud.
3. One-leg stand. Raising one foot about six inches off the ground and counting until told to stop.

Under ORC 4511.19(D)(4)(b), an officer can testify about the results, and prosecutors can introduce them, if it's shown by clear and convincing evidence that the tests were given in substantial compliance with accepted standards, including NHTSA's. That makes how a test was given, and where, part of many OVI cases.

Can you refuse a field sobriety test in Ohio? It's one of the most-searched questions on this topic. Ohio's implied consent law, ORC 4511.191, covers chemical tests of blood, breath, oral fluid or urine after an OVI arrest, and refusing those can lead to an administrative license suspension. The statute doesn't list roadside field sobriety tests. What that means for you on a given night is a question for an Ohio attorney.

Ohio's move over law: what ORC 4511.213 requires

Every roadside stop puts troopers and drivers a few feet from passing traffic. ORC 4511.213 applies when you approach a stationary public safety vehicle, emergency vehicle and certain other vehicles displaying flashing, oscillating or rotating lights:

1. Two or more lanes in your direction: proceed with due caution and, if possible and safe, move to a lane that isn't next to the stopped vehicle.
2. Any other road, or if changing lanes isn't safe: proceed with due caution, slow down and keep a safe speed for conditions.

A violation starts as a minor misdemeanor, the court must impose double the usual fine, and an extra fine can apply if distracted driving contributed. It's a strict liability offense, so the state doesn't have to prove intent.

The reports don't say whether the patrol car's lights were on or whether anyone was cited under this section. In this video the SUV came from the opposite direction and left the roadway entirely. We're explaining the law because the crash happened at a roadside stop, not suggesting which charges apply.

How to request the records in Ohio

Dashcam and bodycam video, crash reports and arrest reports are generally requested under Ohio's Public Records Act, ORC 149.43. Records tied to an open case can be withheld or redacted. Send a written request to the Ohio State Highway Patrol with the date (Oct. 24, 2026), the Toledo Post and a description of the incident. Our FOIA letter generator drafts the request for you, and our guide on how police bodycam footage becomes public covers exemptions, fees and appeals. If you'd like your own record from the road, our gear guide explains what to look for in a dashcam.

For your own stops, see our Know Your Rights page and the detained vs. arrested explainer.

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Know of a roadside crash or OVI stop where the footage hasn't been released? Submit a case and we'll look into requesting it. Records requests cost money; if you'd like to help cover those fees, see our support page. Everyone involved in any case we cover is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.