Distracted Driving In Ohio: A Look Into Ohio Cell Phone Laws

Distracted driving is a major issue when it comes to the safety of drivers. Knowing that, we have seen 48 out of the 50 states in this country put a ban on text messaging for all drivers in place. Ohio is no different, as they have been working to keep drivers safe behind the wheel. Check out the Ohio distracted driving laws below!

Ohio Cell Phone Laws

Whether you are learning to drive in Ohio or a seasoned driver, it's always a good idea to have a refresher course on what the current laws are. When it comes to Ohio, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles seems to be in line with a lot of other states and how they regulate it.

For the Ohio distracted driving laws, all cell phone use is prohibited while driving for any driver under 18 years of age. This includes phone calls (hands-free also), text messaging or any similar forms of manual data entry and transmission.

For drivers over 18 years of age, regular cell phone use for voice calls is allowed. However, adult drivers are not allowed to use their cell phone while driving for manual data entry and transmission on a cell phone (i.e., texting or browsing the internet).

Exceptions To The Rules

Of course, the Ohio BMV understands special circumstances may happen, so there are exceptions to the rules above. Any driver may use a hands-free device for phone calls during an emergency or use their actual cell phone if their vehicle is parked outside the flow of traffic.

Enforcement of Distracted Driving Laws

How police can enforce these distracted driving laws depends on your state laws. There are two ways these laws can be enforced:

1. Primary enforcement - This means the police can pull you over if they see you violating state distracted driving laws.
2. Secondary enforcement - This means the police can cite you for violating distracted driving laws only if you break another law while doing so.

In Ohio, it is considered both a primary enforcement and secondary enforcement, depending on what age group you fall into. For anyone under 18, it is a primary offense, so police can pull you over if they see you using your cell phone while driving. For anyone over 18, it is a secondary offense, which means you have to commit another traffic violation in order for cops to pull you over and give you a ticket for distracted driving also.

Distracted Driving Law Fines

If you violate the distracted driving law in Ohio, the fines for a distracted driving citation vary for teen drivers and adult drivers.

• For drivers under the age of 18, you would receive a 60-day license suspension and a $150 fine for a first offense. For your second offense, you’ll lose your license for a year and face a fine of $300.
• For drivers 18 and older, you would receive a fine of $150. Ohio introduced a new law in 2018, which would add an additional $100 fine for distracted driving while committing a moving violation.

The mission of Coastline Academy is to help put an end to car crashes. With more laws and emphasis put on distracted driving, we can all take steps to seeing that happen.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.