Thanks to last year’s distracted driving law, Ohio has seen less violations and fatal accidents. Ohio’s new distracted driving law took effect in April 2023, with a six-month grace period over by October 2023.
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During that grace period, law enforcement officers were only giving warnings when motorists were on their mobile phones while behind the wheel. Ohio’s distracted driving law means drivers can’t text, dial a phone number, watch a video, engage on social media, or record video.
According to Ohio State Highway Patrol, just over 8,200 distracted driving violations have been issued in 2023. Even though the number of citations is high, the good news is that it’s 500 less than in 2022. The fewer violations are in part due to the new distracted driving law in the Buckeye State.
By September of last year, distracted driving crashes hit a record low when compared to each month since January 2018. OSHP says distracted driving accidents were the highest in May 2018, with 1,383 crashes compared to September 2023’s 576 accidents.
Distracted driving is now a primary offense in the Buckeye State. Violations result in points on your driver’s license plus a fine. A first offense will cost you $150 and two points on your record. A second offense will result in a $250 fine, plus three points. You get caught driving distracted for a third time and you face up to $500 in fines, four points and a driver’s license suspension for 90 days. The fines double if caught on your mobile phone in a work zone.
SEE ALSO: OHIO BMV TRAFFIC POINTS SYSTEM-VALUES, CREDITS, AND REINSTATEMENT
The first nine months of 2022 and 2023 show a difference of 1,255 distracted driving accidents. That’s a 16% decrease! During that same time, distracted driving fatalities declined by 25%. The new distracted driving law influenced driving safety in general, since there were fewer overall traffic crashes. In January 2018, the total number of traffic accidents was at 29,264.
In September 2023, Ohio had 14,458 crashes. That’s 50% fewer accidents. When looking at overall traffic crashes in Ohio, there were almost 23,000 less over those nine months. Plus, about 36 fewer fatalities.
Good Job Ohio! Stay safe behind the wheel!
