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Back in 2023, Governor Mike DeWine from Ohio passed a bill being called the “Hands Down” bill. This law gave police officers the ability to pull drivers over simply for being on the phone while behind the wheel. Prior to 2023, officers were allowed to ticket drivers for their distracted driving; however, there had to be another factor as to why they pulled them over. Often times, this would be something such as speeding. The law instead made distracted driving a primary offense. Over the two years since the law has been passed, the state has seen an incredible decrease in accidents caused by distracted drivers, proving the law to be successful.

Fatal accidents have specifically dropped since the law took effect.

Reports from the Ohio State Highway Patrol show that fatal traffic accidents are down by 4%. Accidents resulting in injuries are down by 3%. Lastly, the average number of accidents as a whole is down by 8%. These declines are very exciting numbers for officials in the state, as any sign of the law proving to be successful is good to see.

A cellphone statistic tracking system reports that phone use has reduced by 10% while driving.

This report came from data collected by Cambridge Mobile Telematics. Their report specifically is based on data from drivers who share data as a part of employee-based safety programs. These programs provide discounts on insurance based on collected driver data. Because the pool is specific to enrollees in these programs, the 10% decline does not directly represent Ohio overall. However, the numbers are useful to deduce that cell phone use has declined as a whole in the state when driving.

The law has been saving lives since April 2023.

Originally, in the early days of the law being in place, there was a period in which officers would pull over drivers for their distracted driving and issue a warning. This lasted for the first six months of the law being in effect. After that, officers began issuing tickets and other repercussions.

The fines can be steep for distracted driving.

For first time offenders, you will receive a fine up to $150 and two marks on you license. For second time offenders who repeat offended within two years of their first offense, they will be hit by a fine up to $250 and have three marks on their account. If you have a third offense in two years, you will have four marks on your license, a 90-day license suspension, and a fine up to $500. Furthermore, all of these fine amounts are for distracted driving offenses in non-work zones. If your offense occurs in a work zone, the fine you will be hit by may double. Depending on your level of offense, you may be able to take a qualifying traffic school course to remove or reduce your fine.

While many are happy by the reduced number of accidents thanks to the law change, some believe there is more to be done. For now, officers will continue to pull over drivers they see that are using their phone while driving, whether there is another offense occurring or not.