The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Ohio aims to cut crashes, strengthen distracted driving laws
A priority made by Avon to crack down on distracted driving could go statewide.
On Feb. 8, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced his Executive Budget proposal will contain provisions prohibiting the use of electronic devices while driving and reclassifying abuses as primary offenses.
Avon toughened distracted driving laws in May of 2018, prohibiting motorists from reading and interacting with electronic devices from behind the wheel, with a first offense having the potential to cost motorists up to $150.
Avon made the move noting multiple highway interchanges and rapid growth numbers make controlling the flow of traffic a top priority, with Mayor Bryan Jensen working in collaboration with the Avon Police Department.
“We didn’t think anybody was watching and I think it goes to show you that when you do the right things there are other people out there who are watching and encouraging you and see that someone took notice that the city of Avon had decided to do something that other communities hadn’t done yet,” Jensen said in 2018.
“The statistics are kind of shocking when you see four out of 10 drivers are distracted, and I commend council for taking action tonight,” Jensen added. “I don’t think it’s going to be a cure-all or anything, but it gives our police officers another tool that allows us to bring it to the attention of the students.”
Statewide commitment
The state’s move to
strengthen laws represents a commitment by DeWine to improve safety of Ohio roads, according to a news release.
The budget proposal will increase fines for drivers who habitually use devices while driving and in cases where a driver using a device causes serious injury or death, the penalties will mirror those of drunken driving.
“Ohio’s current laws don’t go far enough to change the culture around distracted driving, and people are dying because of it,” said DeWine in the release. “Distracted driving is a choice that must be as culturally unacceptable as drunk driving is today, and strengthening our current laws will lead to more responsible driving.”
Currently, using a handheld electronic wireless device for any purpose is a primary offense for drivers under 18, and using a device for text-based communications while driving is a secondary offense for adults, according to the release.
This secondary enforcement prohibits law enforcement from stopping an adult driver using a wireless device to write, send, or read text-based communications unless the driver also commits a primary traffic offense, such as running a red light.
There are no laws in Ohio prohibiting adults from driving while using wireless devices for other nontexting activities, such as watching or recording videos, taking or viewing photos, using apps, entering information into GPS navigation programs, dialing a phone number, etc.
“Every time you pick up your phone while driving you are putting your life and the lives of others in danger,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “When you take your eyes off the road - even for just a few seconds – the consequences can be devastating.”
Provisional data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows that 2020 was the deadliest year on Ohio’s roads in over a decade with 1,236 people killed in traffic crashes.
More than 100,000 distracted driving crashes have occurred in Ohio since 2013 resulting in more than 53,000 injuries, the release said.
Ohio traffic deaths
DeWine’s Hands-Free Ohio provisions would prohibit several actions while driving, such as:
• writing, sending, or reading text-based communications; • watching or recording videos;
• taking photos or looking at images;
• live streaming;
• using apps;
• entering information into GPS navigation programs;
• dialing phone numbers;
• holding a device for a phone call.
The Hands-Free Ohio provisions call for a sixmonth warning period in which law enforcement would issue warnings instead of citations as part of an educational campaign to spread awareness about the strengthened laws.
Jensen said if the HandsFree Ohio provisions are close to Avon’s ordinance then council would likely leave it alone, but it will depend on the specifics of the provisions and an amendment
“The statistics are kind of shocking when you see four out of 10 drivers are distracted, and I commend council for taking action tonight. I don’t think it’s going to be a cure-all or anything, but it gives our police officers another tool that allows us to bring it to the attention of the students.” — Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen
could be necessary to stay in line with state regulations.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) would also install road signs to alert drivers from other states to Ohio’s regulations.
“At ODOT we take distracted driving seriously because more than half of our workforce perform many of their job duties near live traffic,” said Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks.
“Drivers who are distracted by a device while driving through one of our work zones pose a real and present danger to the lives of the dedicated men and women who work for our agency. I applaud Governor DeWine for prioritizing this much-needed and commonsense law,” he said.