Ohio police say distracted driving law is working

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) said distracted driving causes thousands of crashes each year, but that number is going down, and they are crediting a lot of that to the state's distracted driving law.

The law has been in place for a little more than a year and is making an impact on the roads.

Data from the OHSP shows a 45% decrease in serious injury crashes involving distracted driving year to date. Officials credit much of this to the state’s year-old distracted driving law.

“We know that that law is actually saving lives,” said Andy Wilson with the Ohio Department of Public Safety Director.

The Phones Down law allows law enforcement to pull over drivers if they are seen swiping on their phones while moving on the roads.  

Some people said it has made them more aware.

“I definitely have been more cautious of how I drive,” Columbus resident Sarah Grose said.

In the past year, highway patrol has given out more than 12,000 distracted driving-related violations.

Some people said the threat of being pulled over is not stopping some drivers.

“Just coming down here to Columbus today, you had at least two people who were slow in the passing lane and you look over and they’re on their phone. So it hasn’t changed. People still do what they want to do,” Toledo resident Aaron Koehl said.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety said that this year, it has been able to track phone use on the roads through insurance apps.

“We know from the information that we have from those companies that since our distracted driving law went into effect, we've had about an 8.6% reduction in the number of people who are using their phones on the road,” Wilson said.

Highway Patrol said Franklin County ranked second in the state for the most distracted driving-related crashes over the last five years, but OSHP said the crashes are down by around 19% statewide.

People on the roads still think there is still improvement to be made.

“Social media is so big, kids on TikTok, Instagram. I know I've been a victim of falling into social media distractedness, but I think it is good to kind of push the standards moving forward,” Grose said.

If you are pulled over for using your phone while driving there are fines. For a first offense, drivers will get two points on their license and a $150 fine. This could be waived by taking a distracted driving course. If a driver has another offense within two years, they will receive three points and up to $250 fine. Any offense after that within two years is four points, up to a $500 fine, and a possible 90-day suspension of your license. 

The Highway Patrol said if you see someone driving unsafe, you can call #677 to report it.