The state of Ohio does not currently have a law against texting while driving, but once West Virginia passes its ban on texting while driving, 35 other states, including all the states bordering Ohio will have such laws. The state’s chapter of the American Automobile Association has begun to urge the Ohio legislature to pass a law prohibiting sending and receiving text messages while behind the wheel of a moving automobile. According to a statement released by the association, 95 percent of the 2.3 million AAA members in Ohio are in favor of such a law.
Ohio’s House of Representatives passed a bill banning texting and driving by a vote of 88 to 10 in June of 2011. This bill would make sending or receiving text messages while operating an automobile a misdemeanor incurring a fine of up to $150. The state’s Senate held two meetings on the bill that year, but it never took any action on it. Currently senators are not planning to discuss the bill again in the near future.
According to a representative of the Ohio Highway Patrol, texting while driving is comparable to driving while intoxicated in terms of driver impairment.
As a Bakersfield car accident attorney,I have seen the dangerous results of distracted driving. If you or someone you care about has been injured in an auto accident involving an inattentive driver, please consider contacting a Bakersfield personal injury lawyer.