State Rep. Abrams Introduces Distracted Driving Legislation In Ohio House

Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 7:45 AM

If passed into law, Ohio would become the 45th state with a distracted driving law.

Shutterstock photo.

(Columbus, Oh.) – A distracted driving bill has been introduced in Ohio.

State Rep. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) helped introduce the legislation in the Ohio House last week.

The legislation, like a law in Indiana, prohibits individuals from holding or physically supporting an electronic wireless communications device with any part of the body, with certain exceptions.

Currently, 44 states have passed various versions of distracted driving laws.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has reported more than 91,000 distracted driving crashes between 2013 and 2019. Of those crashes, more than 47,000 people were injured and 305 were killed.

“A recent survey found that distracted driving is overwhelmingly the number one concern for Ohio drivers,” said Abrams. “The goal of this bill is to make our state a safer place to travel and reduce the amount of deaths and injuries on our roads.”

Abrams noted that within two years of passing and enforcing distracted driving legislation, statistics reflect a consistent reduction in traffic deaths throughout these 44 states.