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House OKs bill to ban drivers from ‘texting’
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Want to LOL or ROFL while behind the wheel?
Such messages sent or read by drivers would be banned, under legislation OK’d by the Ohio House Tuesday. House Bill 99 would prohibit “texting” while driving and establish criminal violations for those who do so.
“This is distracted driving at its finest,” said Rep. Rex Damschroder, a Republican from the Toledo area and primary sponsor of the bill.
The legislation passed by a vote of 88-10 and heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
HB 99 would ban using electronic communications devices to write, send or read text messages, commonly known as texting, while driving.
“For texting, you have to take your eyes off the wheel, off the road, and you look away for several seconds,” Damschroder said. “This is comparable to reading a newspaper while driving. ... This is not safe.”
He added later, “This is more dangerous than drunk driving.”
Drivers found guilty of texting while operating their motor vehicles would face misdemeanor charges and $150 fines, Damschroder said.
The legislation would include a six-month grace period, during which officers would issue warnings to drivers caught texting.
The prohibition would not apply to law enforcement or emergency responders or to those texting while vehicles are parked or to GPS devices.
Additionally, the legislation would not cover cellular phone use, including entering a name or phone number into a phone.
More than 30 other states have adopted similar texting-while-driving bans.
The House passed comparable legislation last session, but that bill stalled in the Senate.