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New Ohio Law — Be Aware

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SeeYaSometime

Well-known member
It is now illegal in Ohio to drive with a cellphone in your hand. Prior to this law, signed by Gov DeWine 1/3/23, you could not be pulled over for this unless your were a minor. Now it is a primary offense for everyone.

Governor DeWine Signs Bill that Strengthens Distracted Driving Laws in Ohio

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today signed Senate Bill 288, which significantly strengthens laws in Ohio related to the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.
governor.ohio.gov governor.ohio.gov
 
 
SeeYaSometime said:
It is now illegal in Ohio to drive with a cellphone in your hand. Prior to this law, signed by Gov DeWine 1/3/23, you could not be pulled over for this unless your were a minor. Now it is a primary offense for everyone.

Governor DeWine Signs Bill that Strengthens Distracted Driving Laws in Ohio

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today signed Senate Bill 288, which significantly strengthens laws in Ohio related to the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.
governor.ohio.gov governor.ohio.gov
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I hope it is enforced.
 
I predict this will be a one-way enforceable offense. If you are swerving and driving reckless and you have a phone in your hands they can pull you over. The cat's been out of the bag on this for more than a decade. There are people in their 30's who've driven, texted and done all kinds of things on phones with no issues. This just makes it look like DeWine is doing something, politicians do this.
 
There are several exceptions to the law:

-Drivers are allowed to use a phone when the vehicle is parked or stopped at a red light

-Drivers are allowed to swipe their screens to answer a call

-Holding a cell phone to your ear during phone calls is allowed

-Emergency calls will not be restricted

-Use of a GPS function or navigation device is fine, but must be mounted on the dash or console and not handheld

It’s a dumb law. I guess after the mandatory front plate law went away in Ohio, cops needed another BS way to pull you over.
 
Sig Hansen said:
Would be great if the same attention was paid to those who drive while high, which this Bill seems to completely ignore.

www.dispatch.com

Ohio lawmakers pass sweeping crime bill that toughens penalties for distracted driving

Tougher penalties for using cellphones while driving were added to a sweeping criminal justice reform bill now heading to Gov. DeWine.
www.dispatch.com www.dispatch.com
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Until they have an affordable field test that can measure “active” pot in someone’s system separate from the non-intoxicating systemic load of the fat-soluble THC, I am not sure how they could make an objective assessment of impairment
 
14Red said:
I predict this will be a one-way enforceable offense. If you are swerving and driving reckless and you have a phone in your hands they can pull you over. The cat's been out of the bag on this for more than a decade. There are people in their 30's who've driven, texted and done all kinds of things on phones with no issues. This just makes it look like DeWine is doing something, politicians do this.
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Heck, when I was 20 I could drive with my knees and twist a doobie, or drive a pickup from the passenger seat while stuffing newspaper boxes.

Practice, practice, practice….
 
This will be so much about nothing. Cops are not going to pull people over just because they are on their cell phones. They have SO much more to do.
 
Law enforcement needs to crack down on drivers who use their brakes unnecessarily. This contributes to climate change which kills more people every year than distracted driving does.

I've been drafting off semis a lot recently which has significantly lowered my CO2 emissions.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
I am usually not one for adding laws but this is a good law apparently other states that have enacted similar laws have seen a reduction in traffic deaths.
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Not being crass, but there is also legislation to up the speed limit on highways to 60 from 55. So if we are concerned about saving lives, we'd put in speed limits lower, not higher. It's just a game politicians play.
 
Distracted driving and driving while high is a major problem. Most times when stopped at a light someone in line needs encouragement because they are engrossed in their phone. Then there are those who blatantly text while driving. Happens more than most think.

All for this and hope it is enforced.
 
irish_buffalo said:
Distracted driving and driving while high is a major problem. Most times when stopped at a light someone in line needs encouragement because they are engrossed in their phone. Then there are those who blatantly text while driving. Happens more than most think.

All for this and hope it is enforced.
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Driving high is, has been and always will be illegal. It's so hard to enact laws for people because so many people can function just fine driving, texting, putting on makeup and reading a book while others can't have the radio on because it's difficult for them to concentrate on driving.
I've always said the technology is there to basically jam cell phones in a small area around the steering wheel? Why not put this in place?

I don't think accident rates are any higher than they ever have been.
 
irish_buffalo said:
Distracted driving and driving while high is a major problem. Most times when stopped at a light someone in line needs encouragement because they are engrossed in their phone. Then there are those who blatantly text while driving. Happens more than most think.

All for this and hope it is enforced.
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Sounds like a true "get off my lawn" guy. I recognize these views ;). However...

1. John Q. Citizen wants to be able to use his/her phone while driving. You/we can rail against it all we want, but it's the way of the world. Those who think big thoughts about laws have to accept that drivers WILL use their phones and factor it into law-making. And, with the onset of truly smart cars, there will be a natural movement in the direction of giving the driver more leeway in the "pay attention" realm...whether we like it or not.

2. It's a bad law because it's so riddled with exceptions that the public isn't really on notice as to what is legal/illegal. If you read about it...it was carved up in the legislating process. The "we've got to have something" crowd got their something...a mess, I think.

3. I disagree with this idea by Red14 that cops won't pull people over for using their cell-phone. The hell they won't. Cops operate on hunches. I'd say most of the time, their hunch is valid. But, there's this thing called the 4th Amendment. They need "probable cause" that a crime has been committed to pull that suspicious car over going east on the Ohio Turnpike with a California plate and three guys who look Mexican. So, the hunch will be about drug smuggling, but the excuse to pull the car over will be the cell law. A cell phone law will come in very handy to them....just like the "marijuana smell" carve out that permits police to search a car that smells of weed (which would go away-probably-if marijuana becomes legal in Ohio and federally).
 
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CatAlum said:
Sounds like a true "get off my lawn" guy. I recognize these views ;). However...

1. John Q. Citizen wants to be able to use his/her phone while driving. You/we can rail against it all we want, but it's the way of the world. Those who think big thoughts about laws have to accept that drivers WILL use their phones and factor it into law-making. And, with the onset of truly smart cars, there will be a natural movement in the direction of giving the driver more leeway in the "pay attention" realm...whether we like it or not.

2. It's a bad law because it's so riddled with exceptions that the public isn't really on notice as to what is legal/illegal. If you read about it...it was carved up in the legislating process. The "we've got to have something" crowd got their something...a mess, I think.

3. I disagree with this idea by Red14 that cops won't pull people over for using their cell-phone. The hell they won't. Cops operate on hunches. I'd say most of the time, their hunch is valid. But, there's this thing called the 4th Amendment. They need "probable cause" that a crime has been committed to pull that suspicious car over going east on the Ohio Turnpike with a California plate and three guys who look Mexican. So, the hunch will be about drug smuggling, but the excuse to pull the car over will be the cell law. A cell phone law will come in very handy to them....just like the "marijuana smell" carve out that permits police to search a car that smells of weed (which would go away-probably-if marijuana becomes legal in Ohio and federally).
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I use my phone when I drive all of the time. I put it into the phone holder before I leave and I take calls from a button on my steering wheel through bluetooth (hands free). I do not text when I drive. I travel often for work and you would be amazed with the amount of people I see, all over the road, not going when they should at a light/stop sign because they are texting or on Tik-Tok, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Truck drivers do worse. It is a real danger and needs to be addressed.

Now get off my lawn!
 
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CatAlum said:
3. I disagree with this idea by Red14 that cops won't pull people over for using their cell-phone. The hell they won't. Cops operate on hunches. I'd say most of the time, their hunch is valid. But, there's this thing called the 4th Amendment. They need "probable cause" that a crime has been committed to pull that suspicious car over going east on the Ohio Turnpike with a California plate and three guys who look Mexican. So, the hunch will be about drug smuggling, but the excuse to pull the car over will be the cell law. A cell phone law will come in very handy to them....just like the "marijuana smell" carve out that permits police to search a car that smells of weed (which would go away-probably-if marijuana becomes legal in Ohio and federally).
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💯 accurate. I mentioned earlier, the front plate requirement went away in Ohio and cops were 😡. Now, they have this BS cell phone law to replace it. Good luck ever trying to prove you were NOT in violation of the cell phone law if a cop says you were.
 
Several months ago a girl while driving and texting turned in frt of me crossing lanes, I had to swerve off the road to avoid an accident, she did not stop until I was past her. LOL it does not take a brain surgeon to know texting and driving is not a good thing however people still do it this is a good law and I hope they do enforce the law: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/texting-driving-statistics/
 
boothmark77 said:
💯 accurate. I mentioned earlier, the front plate requirement went away in Ohio and cops were 😡. Now, they have this BS cell phone law to replace it. Good luck ever trying to prove you were NOT in violation of the cell phone law if a cop says you were.
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If you have nothing to hide you nothing to worry about, no different than drinking and driving. Amazes me how some people are against saving lives just because they may be inconvenienced. Nearly 400 people died from texting and driving in 2020 better that they died than you may be pulled over because a cop thought you were texting while driving.
 
14Red said:
I predict this will be a one-way enforceable offense. If you are swerving and driving reckless and you have a phone in your hands they can pull you over. The cat's been out of the bag on this for more than a decade. There are people in their 30's who've driven, texted and done all kinds of things on phones with no issues. This just makes it look like DeWine is doing something, politicians do this.
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This was already cause to pull over under the previous law, for what it’s worth. LEO’s could call the cause ‘marked lanes.’ The only difference now is the phone suffices for cause to be pulled over.
 
boothmark77 said:
💯 accurate. I mentioned earlier, the front plate requirement went away in Ohio and cops were 😡. Now, they have this BS cell phone law to replace it. Good luck ever trying to prove you were NOT in violation of the cell phone law if a cop says you were.
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The other thing on plates and LEO’s was the push to eliminate the use of the “heart of it all!” and “Birthplace of Aviation” license plates. The claim was “it’s for public safety”, when it reality it was to make people buy new plates.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
If you have nothing to hide you nothing to worry about, no different than drinking and driving. Amazes me how some people are against saving lives just because they may be inconvenienced. Nearly 400 people died from texting and driving in 2020 better that they died than you may be pulled over because a cop thought you were texting while driving.
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Sure. Let’s allow any cop to stop any car for whatever reason—“just to be safe”. Sounds logical to me. 👌
 
irish_buffalo said:
I use my phone when I drive all of the time. I put it into the phone holder before I leave and I take calls from a button on my steering wheel through bluetooth (hands free). I do not text when I drive. I travel often for work and you would be amazed with the amount of people I see, all over the road, not going when they should at a light/stop sign because they are texting or on Tik-Tok, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Truck drivers do worse. It is a real danger and needs to be addressed.

Now get off my lawn!
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The experts say two things...

1. Stop worrying so much about your lawn.

2. The manner in which YOU use your phone (hands free technology) is not "good". It may be a version of "less bad" but even that is up for debate. One of the big problems with cell phone usage while driving is that, cognitively, you check out. The phone call dominates your brain activity. I have certainly found it to be the case that, after a 5-10 minute cell call in the car, even with hands free technology, that I have little recollection of what I just drove through while on the cell. I've missed exits while going down the interstate while on a call...

This article from Zurich Insurance covers the issues pretty well. And, yes, that incredibly stupid/dangerous behavior of the phone in the guy/girls' lap (they're looking down at it) as they head down the road...it can't be good. But this is all risk/reward management, very much akin to setting a speed limit. How much death/destruction are we willing to tolerate to move people around at an efficient speed?

 
CatAlum said:
The experts say two things...

1. Stop worrying so much about your lawn.

2. The manner in which YOU use your phone (hands free technology) is not "good". It may be a version of "less bad" but even that is up for debate. One of the big problems with cell phone usage while driving is that, cognitively, you check out. The phone call dominates your brain activity. I have certainly found it to be the case that, after a 5-10 minute cell call in the car, even with hands free technology, that I have little recollection of what I just drove through while on the cell.

This article from Zurich Insurance covers the issues pretty well. And, yes, that incredibly stupid/dangerous behavior of the phone in the guy/girls' lap (they're looking down at it) as they head down the road...it can't be good. But this is all risk/reward management, very much akin to setting a speed limit. How much death/destruction are we willing to tolerate to move people around at an efficient speed?

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I will always worry about my lawn.

Drive 10 minutes without being on your phone and you will have trouble recollecting what you drove through.

But I agree, lessor of a problem but still slight distraction. Regardless my stance does not change that texting/social media use while driving is a major problem. You probably know better than anyone but look at all of the instances of truck drivers wrecking and subsequently severely injuring or killing someone because they were watching porn.
 
irish_buffalo said:
I will always worry about my lawn.

Drive 10 minutes without being on your phone and you will have trouble recollecting what you drove through.

But I agree, lessor of a problem but still slight distraction. Regardless my stance does not change that texting/social media use while driving is a major problem. You probably know better than anyone but look at all of the instances of truck drivers wrecking and subsequently severely injuring or killing someone because they were watching porn.
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Did you used to drive a truck? 😀
 
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