COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine is renewing his efforts to make distracted driving reason enough for police to pull someone over.
Under current law police need another reason to pull drivers over, such as speeding, before a distracted driving ticket can be issued.
But DeWine said Monday he’s including a proposal in his two-year state budget proposal that would make writing, sending or looking at texts; watching or recording photos or videos; or livestreaming while handling an electronic device, among other activities a primary offense, meaning police wouldn’t need another reason to pull drivers over.
The proposal would also increase fines for drivers who habitually use devices while driving and, where a driver using a device causes serious injury or death, the penalties will mirror those of drunken driving, DeWine said.
“Ohio’s current laws don’t go far enough to change the culture around distracted driving, and people are dying because of it. 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,” DeWine said.
More than 100,000 distracted driving crashes have occurred in Ohio since 2013 resulting in more than 53,000 injuries, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, and Montana are the only states without primary enforcement laws for adult drivers using wireless devices.
The language in the proposal mirrors a bill sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and former Sen. Sean J. O’Brien, introduced in the Statehouse a year ago.
Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), who has introduced a similar measure, praised the governor’s move.
“A statewide primary offense law for distracted driving such as the ones proposed last year by Sens. Kunze and O’Brien in the Senate and my bill in the House will provide far better consistency and allow for statewide education efforts to get the message across: Distracted driving is always unacceptable in Ohio,” Lightbody said.
Under current Ohio law, using a hand-held electronic wireless device for any purpose is a primary offense for drivers under 18 and there are no laws prohibiting adults from using wireless devices for watching or recording videos, taking or viewing photos, using apps or entering information into GPS navigation programs while driving, DeWine said.
DeWine’s proposal also bans dialing phone numbers or holding a device for a phone call.
Under the proposal, there would be a six-month warning period when police would issue warnings instead of citations to spread awareness and the Ohio Department of Transportation would install road signs to alert drivers from other states to the change in Ohio’s regulations
Exceptions include using hand-held devices for emergency calls, while in a stationary vehicle outside of the lane of traffic.
Drivers can talk on the phone, dictate text messages or listen to received messages only in hands-free mode. GPS devices would be permitted if destinations are entered before driving.