491 cited in Ohio cited for distracted driving in 6-state initiative, OSHP says

Nearly 500 people were cited in Ohio for distracted driving by the Ohio State Highway Patrol during a six-state enforcement initiative.

The 491 citations include 61 in the region, led by Clark County with 20 citations issued during the special enforcement period between 12:01 a.m. Oct. 5 and 11:59 p.m. Oct. 12.

Following are the citations for the region:

  • 20, Clark County
  • 13, Montgomery County
  • 12, Warren County
  • 8, Butler County
  • 4, Miami County
  • 3, Greene County
  • 1, Preble County

Ohio in October 2018 passed House Bill 95, a law which broadened what is considered distracted driving and increased the fine if it was a contributing factor to the commission of the driving violation, the release stated. Distracted driving is any non-driving activity with the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing. Distractions can be visual, taking eyes off of the road; manual, taking hands off the wheel; or cognitive, taking the mind off driving.

In addition to the OSHP, Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and West Virginia State Police were included in the 6-state trooper project.