This month Ohio will become the latest state to ban distracted driving, but city officials in Bowling Green are considering a measure to take the ban a whole lot further. They want to ban any activity which might inhibit a driver’s ability to effectively and safely operate their vehicle regardless of whether or not that distraction is an electronic device or their lunch.

Specifically the new measure would prevent a driver from doing anything “without giving full time and attention to the operation of the vehicle.” That means if they are operating their radio, twisting the dials, or just having a conversation with someone in the backseat of their car, they will run afoul of the proposed law.

Municipalities and legislators around the nation are working diligently to address the growing problem of distracted driving. Public safety officials have reams of evidence which suggests that distracted driving is already a leading cause of fatal vehicle crashes and is showing signs of becoming an even bigger problem in the future as more and more mobile technology becomes available to consumers.

There has been a great deal of dispute about the hazards of distracted driving with groups on both sides claiming they have evidence to support their cause. But a preponderance of evidence points to an increase in distracted driving and an increase in deaths caused by distracted driving. The insurance industry has pointed to distracted driving as the single greatest threat to automobile insurance rates and the likelihood those rates will rise as a result of increased injuries and deaths from collisions.

Not all states have enacted bans on distracted driving. Ohio is only the most recent of nearly 40 states which have done so. In some states, such as Texas, legislators have said they will leave the issue of whether or not to ban distracted driving to municipalities, and some, such as San Antonio, have enacted tough distracted driving bans as a result.

If you want to learn more about the dangers of distracted driving, consider attending our online defensive driving school!

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