Distracted driving down 10% in Ohio just 1 year after law passes

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — State officials say they’re already seeing positive results from Ohio’s Distracted Driving Law just one year since citations started.

State troopers issue nearly 70 distracted driving citations per day around the state. Officials say now that they can enforce it, distracted driving-related incidents are declining.

“There’s still work to be done and we want to continue to drive that number down, but it’s showing that it’s working,” said Sgt. Tyler Ross with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Montgomery County has the fourth most distracted driving-related crashes in the state; 536 to 445.

ODOT is also monitoring distracted driving and working with Cambridge Mobile Telematics to gather data from those who opt-in to share their driving behavior with insurance companies.

“It’s a culture shift. But hopefully, as we start to put people on the berm, which we’re going to continue to do, because our goal is the same that it always has been and always will continue to be, and that’s to save lives,” said Ross.

Data shows that distracted driving is down 10 percent in Ohio.

“10% may not sound like a lot, but that’s still tens of thousands of trips every single day where people are not driving, distracted. And the hope right now is that we can get that number to increase over time,” said Mandi Dillon, ODOT Southwest Regional PIO.

Few exceptions allow drivers to use their cell phones behind the wheel. These include reporting an emergency. Drivers can also hold their phones to their ears, as long as it takes a single motion to answer a phone call.

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