ASHLAND — The rules of the road have changed.
Starting Tuesday, April 4, Ohio drivers that hold or use their cellphones while driving are at risk of being pulled over and issued a warning for violating a new section of the Ohio Revised Code that Gov. Mike DeWine approved in January.
Dialing a phone number, sending texts, taking video calls and browsing the internet while driving would all be violations of the new law.
“To put it simply, lock your phone, put it down, put it in a console, put it in the glove compartment, just get it out of your hands so that your hands are on the wheel and your eyes are on the road,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in a press conference about the new restrictions on Monday.
Any phone usage that goes beyond a single touch or swipe is generally against the new law, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Drivers can still use hands-free methods to take calls, send texts or navigate.
According to ODOT, the distracted driving law does not apply to some drivers in certain situations, such as:
- Drivers reporting an emergency to law enforcement, a hospital, health care provider, fire department, or similar emergency entity.
- Drivers holding a phone to their ear only during phone conversations, if the call is started or stopped with a single touch or swipe.
- Drivers holding or using cell phones and other electronic devices while stopped at a traffic light or parked on a road or highway during an emergency or road closure.
- First responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS), using electronic devices as part of their official duties.
- Utility workers operating utility vehicles in certain emergency or outage situations.
- Licensed operators using an amateur radio.
- Commercial truck drivers using a mobile data terminal.
For the first sixth months of the law’s life, local and state law enforcement will issue warnings for violations. Starting Oct. 5, drivers will start accruing fines and losing license points for distracted driving.
A driver’s first offense in two years will knock two points off their license and give them up to a $150 fine. A second offense in two years would dock three more points and increase the possible fine up to $250. A third offense would cost a driver four points from their license, a fine up to $500 and a possible 90-day suspension of their license.
Additionally, any distracted driving fines are doubled if the violation occurs in a work zone.
