Texting And Driving Law Now In Effect In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — Lakewood's new distracted driving law — which makes texting and driving a primary offense, meaning violators can be pulled over by police — goes into effect today.

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 $150 misdemeanor 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. The legislation was passed in early September. City Council wanted a buffer before the law went into effect, so residents could learn about the legislation and what it meant for drivers. On December 2, the law went into effect.

“The Lakewood Police Department supports the new ordinance on distracted driving as an important step forward in deterring preventable accidents,” said Police Chief Timothy Malley when the law was passed. “Distracted driving is a major cause of crashes on our roadways and giving our officers the tools to prevent these crashes from happening is appropriate.”

O'Leary 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 when the legislation passed. "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."