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XENIA — Another accident that occurred while a driver was texting has law enforcement officials continuing to push for a statewide ban on the seemingly popular practice.
Tuesday, U.S. 42 in Greene County was closed for several hours and about 1,300 Dayton Power & Light customers were without power after the crash that occurred about 2 a.m.
Jeffrey Isaacs, 18, of Lebanon was traveling southwest on U.S. 42 when his 1998 Chevy pickup truck swayed to the right side of the road, striking a utility pole and splitting it in half.
Troopers with the Ohio Highway Patrol confirmed that Isaacs was texting at the time of the crash.
His injuries were minor, but he was reportedly taken to Miami Valley Hospital.
He was expected to be cited for failure to control, according to the patrol.
“More and more, we’re seeing the type of crashes where people aren’t paying attention because they’re more focused on the phone,” patrol Sgt. Anthony Lauer said. “The next thing you know, they’re hitting a utility pole.”
Tuesday’s accident occurred at the intersection with Stevenson Road, northeast of Xenia. The electrical lines from the pole came down on top of the truck. A nearby transformer also blew. Power was out for hours and U.S. 42 was closed until just before 8 a.m. as DP&L crews replaced the pole.
The accident remains under investigation, but follows a highly publicized crash in Osgood, Ind., on Dec. 30 in which an 18-year-old lost control of her vehicle and was killed in an accident.
A passenger later told police the driver was texting someone just before the crash.
Movement to ban texting while driving statewide has been sluggish.
A bill to initiate a ban — House Bill 99 — passed out of the Ohio House of Representatives on June 28, according to Mike Cunnington, an aide to state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton. Combs is chairman of the House Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
It passed out of the House’s transportation committee April 5, Cunnington said, and is now with the Senate.
Some Ohio cities, such as Columbus, have already enacted a ban on texting while at the wheel.
Kettering’s ban took effect Jan. 3. Officers may begin issuing citations July 1, at the conclusion of a six-month grace period. Oral warnings will be issued until then.
The number of warnings issued by Kettering officers in the first week of the ban’s enactment was not available Tuesday, according to Officer Ron Roberts.
By last April, more than 30 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted bans on texting while driving.
Seventy-two percent of all teens — or 88 percent of teen cellphone users — are text messengers, according to a 2010 report by the Pew Research Center. Additionally, one in three teens were found to send more than 100 text messages a day.
Drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into injury accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.
“Right now, (texting while driving) isn’t probable cause to stop a vehicle,” Lauer said. “There’s nothing we can do to cite them or stop them if they’re using their phones.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6983 or andrew.sedlak@coxinc.com.
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