Governor: Distracted Driving Taking Great Toll On Ohio

(WHBC) – Governor Mike DeWine has received a report from a task force working on reducing distracted driving accidents.

DeWine says since 2013 distracted driving has contributed to 80,000 crashes, 3,000 serious injuries and 268 deaths, just in Ohio.

“268 people were killed because someone made the choice to drive distracted,” DeWine said.

Among the recommendations from the task force that DeWine supports – making distracted driving a primary offense, meaning police could pull someone over specifically for such a violation; requiring all electronic devices such as phones and tablets to have hands-free capability, to increase fines and points for violators and to dedicate more time to distracted driving in driver’s education classes.

Safety officials say Ohio should enact one hands-free law that includes primary enforcement, because, currently, the state has two laws that are not clearly defined or widely enforced.