Columbus, Ohio —
Starting today, texting at the wheel is illegal in Ohio.
And if you are under 18, use of any hand-held communications device while driving, including cell phone, laptop, tablet, and GPS, is against the law, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
For adult drivers the offense is a misdemeanor that could result in a fine of up to $150.
For those under 18, the first offense carries a $150 fine and 60-day license suspension; subsequent violations bring $300 fines and one-year license suspensions.
Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law in June.
Under the law, adult drivers may not write, send or read a text message while driving. Drivers may pull off the road and text, however.
Minors may not use any handheld device while behind the wheel, even when the vehicle is stopped.
Breaking the law for adults is a secondary offense, meaning they will have to be pulled over for some other offense like speeding before police can ticket them for texting.
However, for minors, it is a primary offense, and police who witness them texting may pull them over and issue tickets.
There are exceptions for both adults and minors in the case of emergencies, such as calls to police, ambulance or fire departments.
Police don’t have clear statistics on the danger of texting while driving, but many crashes are the result of driving distracted, according to Sgt. Chris Smith of the South Point post of the Ohio Highway Patrol. “We see this as a very important law. A lot of crashes happen because of not paying attention and because of distractions,” Smith said.
Police hope the law will prompt motorists to think about the potential dangers of texting behind the wheel, according to Smith. “So many people think, it’s not going to happen to me,” he said. “But it can.”
Police won’t start enforcing the law for six months and will issue warnings during that time.
In February they will begin writing tickets.
Kentucky has had a ban since 2010 on texting while driving. Kentucky’s law prohibits adult drivers from writing, sending or reading texts behind the wheel. It prohibits drivers under 18 from using cell phones at all while driving.
Exceptions are made for emergency use. Penalties are a $25 fine for the first offense and $50 fines for subsequent offenses.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.
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