CINCINNATI — The state is seeing results one year after Ohio’s distracted driving law first took effect. Crashes involving distracted drivers are down and violations for distracted driving are up.
The number of crashes involving distracted driving dropped nearly 16% over roughly the last twelve months compared to the year before that, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol data.
The decline is even steeper in recent months and among more serious crashes. There have been 37% fewer deadly crashes and crashes leading to serious injury linked to distracted drivers so far this year compared to the same time last year.
OSHP Sgt. Tyler Ross said distracted driving can produce the same dangerous driving maneuvers as impaired drivers.
“They're driving outside of the lane of travel,” he said. “There's intermittent braking.”
He said distracted driving can be just as deadly too.
Young adults make up a large number of offenders in crashes involving distracted drivers. Since 2019, 38% of distracted drivers involved in crashes were between the ages of 15 and 24.
“It takes parents to have those conversations with those younger drivers,” Ross said.
Numbers have dropped in Hamilton County since the law took effect, but the county remains one of the worst in the state for distracted driving. It’s seen the third-highest number of crashes involving distracted drivers over the last five years, according to OSHP data. It’s only four crashes behind Franklin County. Both have had more than 4,400.
“Our big metropolitan cities like Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, we expect that because there's a lot more traffic,” Ross said.
Locally, Clermont and Brown counties defied the state average. Both had two additional crashes linked to distracted driving over roughly the last twelve months, compared to the same period a year earlier.
While statewide trends are moving in the right direction, Ross said more work needs to be done.
“Roadway safety is a shared responsibility,” said Ross. “We have to put those phones down.”
