Distracted Driving Law Passed In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — On Tuesday night, Lakewood City Council passed legislation redefining distracted driving laws. Police will now be able to pull over anyone who is seen texting while driving.

The new legislation makes punishable the acts of texting, reading, scrolling, dialing, or answering the phone while driving if the driver has to take even one hand off of the car's steering wheel. If caught in violation of the ordinance, drivers could face a fine.

Lakewood drivers will still be able to use hands-free devices or make limited-use of mounted cell phones. The ordinance will also allow exceptions for emergencies. Additional exceptions exist for Lyft and Uber drivers who are accepting fares and for truck drivers passing through the city.

Ordinance 5-19 was introduced by Council President Sam O'Leary at the beginning of the year. He told Patch the ordinance was a direct response to the prevalence of distracted driving accidents both in Lakewood and around the nation.

"The clear evidence shows this is a major public safety risk on the caliber, frankly, of drunk driving," O'Leary told Patch. "This is a very dangerous and potentially deadly activity that we need a shift on culturally. It is not an acceptable behavior to text and drive or to even hold your phone while driving."

Each day, nine people are killed and more than 1,000 crashes occur due to distracted driving in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. More than 3,000 people died in 2017 because of distracted driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.

O'Leary noted that Lakewood is one of the more densely packed cities in Ohio. The city also prides itself on its bikeability and walkability. With streets crowded with pedestrians and cyclists, distracted driving is an even more potent threat, O'Leary said.

"The point of this ordinance is not to create revenue or punish people. We want to keep people safe," O'Leary said. He added that the law would not go into effect for 90 days, giving the public time to adjust to the law or ask questions about the ordinance. "We want to have a robust community conversation," he said.

The entire ordinance can be viewed online, within Lakewood City Council's September 3 agenda.