Cleveland - This Morning, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 288 at a ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse. Among other provisions, State bill 288 makes distracted driving a primary offense and gives law enforcement more tools to battle distracted driving and save lives.
Before Tuesday, Ohio State Law said texting while driving was a secondary offense for drivers 18 and older. That meant someone would have to be pulled over for another traffic violation before being charged with texting while driving. Some Ohio municipalities had local laws making texting while driving a primary offense back in 2018.
But on Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 288, making it a state-wide primary offense. The new Law will allow drivers to use phones while stopped at a red light or to hold them to their ears to receive phone calls.
Between 2013 and 2019, Ohio saw over 15,000 accidents a year due to distracted drivers. The crashes resulted in 300 casualties during that span.
We have the bill available for you to read below.
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