If you dare text while drive in Lyndhurst, Ohio, know this: Police will pull you over and write you a citation if they see you do it. That’s because although Ohio has an existing law which makes texting while driving a secondary offense (which means police must find some other reason for pulling you over before writing you a citation for texting while driving) Lyndhurst lawmakers have decided texting while driving is worth a little extra enforcement and so they have made it a primary offense–meaning if cops see you do it they can just pull you over for it. No need to find some other reason to pull you over.

Oh, and let’s not forget, that while state law considers texting while driving a misdemeanor with a possible fine of up to $150, Lyndhurst makes it a fourth-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a possible $250 fine. That’s a heckuva lot more serious offense than the state provides for and might actually make drivers think first before getting behind the wheel with a handheld device.

My Improv is an online Ohio defensive driving school but there is nothing funny about driving distracted. Studies have shown that distracted driving is at least as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol and causes more fatalities each year. Not only that, but incidents of distracted driving have been rising consistently for the past few years and the trend shows they are continuing that upward tick this year.

But perhaps not in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

You might recall last month when we told you about the Ohio woman who was so determined to drive around a stopped school bus she drove on the sidewalk-in front of a preschool. This week a judge sentenced that driver, Shena Hardin, 32, after she plead guilty. Hardin was fined $250 and had her license suspended for 30 days by a Cleveland Municipal Court on Monday. The judge also required her to stand on the same corner where she evaded the bus (which was stopped to pick-up a handicapped child) wearing a sign which reads “Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” Hardin is required by the judge to stand there next Tuesday and Wednesday, from 7:45-8:45 a.m., with the sign hanging around her neck.

According to the bus driver which Hardin passed, she had been driving around his stopped bus for several days. He had notified his boss, the school and the local police, all of whom converged on the scene and used surveillance video cameras to record her dangerous (and idiotic) behavior. A teacher at the pre-school across the street from the stopped bus, where Hardin used the sidewalk as an impromptu travel lane, remarked to a local news reporter at the time that it was not uncommon for her to take her pre-school students for a walk on that very sidewalk at that very time; it was just a lucky coincidence they weren’t standing on that sidewalk when Hardin drove on it.

Hardin serves as an example of just what happens when you drive stupid. Not only do you risk fines, suspension of your driving privileges and possibly killing or hurting someone, but you also risk your dignity. Hopefully she will not need a further reminder of just how dangerous her driving behavior was and will never, ever, pass a stopped school bus again.

Ohio driver Shena Hardin pleaded “not guilty” this week to charges that she drove on a sidewalk to go around a stopped school bus which was picking up students early last month. This is an interesting plea considering the school bus driver and police both have video of her vehicle not slowing down as she approached the stopped school bus, swerved onto the sidewalk and continued to roll down the road without slowing.

This week Hardin was in court for her actions. On Sept. 11 she was cited for failure to stop for a school bus and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

According to the school bus driver Hardin had been failing to stop for the bus repeatedly and had been warned not to continue doing that. State law, in fact every state law, requires drivers to stop when school buses are stopped for loading or unloading students. These laws were enacted to protect students and drivers. Young children, school age children, often exhibit unpredictable behavior. When you mix pedestrians of any age with vehicles the chances for an accident to occur are always increased. School children, especially, are at risk, because they might dart into traffic, not be paying close attention as they make their way onto or off the school bus.

Making the situation even more unsafe, the sidewalk on which Hardin drove is right front of a daycare center. One worker there said she found Hardin’s behavior very dangerous because they often walk those children on that very sidewalk.

The fact that Hardin felt it necessary to drive on a sidewalk (which is also illegal) to avoid stopping for the school bus shows a complete disregard for the safety of the children which may be present and a complete disregard for traffic laws in Ohio.

Next time you see a stopped school bus, no matter what state you live on or how much of a hurry you might be in, slow down and stop. It’s not just the law, it’s also the best way to protect children from injury.

When Ohio police spotted Tyson Wilson, 33, speeding and driving recklessly on U.S. 68. near Xenia, Ohio, they had no idea that was just the least of his issues. After leading police on a lengthy pursuit which sometimes achieved speeds of 80 mph or more, Wilson finally pulled into a side road and stopped his vehicle.

Police administered a field sobriety test which Wilson failed. Police claim Wilson told them he drinks and drives frequently.

“He did make a statement about being high at the time and used some profanity in his quotes,” said Lt. Matt Cleaveland with the highway patrol. “He seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole deal.”

A search of his driving record showed that Wilson had so far received 33 suspensions of his driving privileges and 10 of those suspensions were still active. Meaning he had no right to be driving at all.

But even that was not the end of Wilson’s story. He also had his infant son sitting unbuckled in a car seat, which was also not fastened to the backseat. At any time during his high speed ride his infant son could have been injured or killed.

It is bad enough to risk your own life because you are too stoned, drunk or stupid to care about your driving skills, or even the lives of everyone who happens to be sharing the road with you that day. But to put your own infant child’s life at risk because you are an ignoramus is beyond belief.

Unfortunately, because Wilson continues to disregard his suspended license it seems likely he will continue to risk lives just so he can be allowed to indulge his inner idiot.

Blessed with foresight (or so we think) some Ohio legislators are considering a move toward letting an online traffic school suffice for what had become the ritual of drivers’ education in public education.

These young drivers would still be required to pass the driver’s exam administered by the state so they would need to demonstrate an ability to adequately operate a motor vehicle safely, but the portion of their education now required to be fulfilled by the state would instead be handled by private companies.

Not everyone is favor of this plan, however and some have taken their grievances to the state level, petitioning legislators to rethink any change in the existing policy. But others are adamantly in favor of the switch saying there is nothing currently be taught in driver’s education class which couldn’t be effectively translated into an online program, or delivered with an existing online program like the My Improv system.

Currently, 26 states require some form of driver’s education for students enrolled in public school. Another 15 states allow students to complete a driver’s education class online so Ohio far from seeking new ground. And since all students and first time drivers are required to pass a state administered exam and behind the wheel road test, a move toward online driving education would hardly have an impact on their driving abilities beyond this point.

There is arguably a crisis in public education at the moment, with school districts around the nation seeing their public funds reduced for a number of reasons. The school administrators then must find ways to reduce costs while continuing to provide a worthwhile education for their students. If an online traffic school can supply the driving skills and knowledge adequately enough without the need for public schools to bear the costs of employing driving instructors or teachers skilled in the program, it would seem to be an excellent alternative for schools facing a budget cut.

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!

The New Year started with a bang and a blanket of snow for the Midwestern United States, as the entire Ohio Valley and points west saw a sudden and unexpected snow squall sweep through.

For anyone who has not successfully completed an online traffic school (preferably a comedy traffic school) this meant a dangerous morning commute followed by an equally dangerous drive home from work in the evening. The snow wasn’t deep, but it was unexpected, meaning road crews were having a hard time getting the roads clear in a timely basis.

Because weather forecasters had mostly failed to predict heavy snowfall for today, many road crew personnel were off for an extended holiday weekend, meaning there were few snow plows and salt trucks on the road when the snow began to pile up. Fortunately the snow started falling heavy early enough to give crews a chance to get started before the rush hour began, but many early risers took the brunt of the poor driving conditions.

The Ohio Department of Transportation was busy calling in drivers to handle the snow at 5 a.m. this morning, in an effort to get the highways clear, but despite these efforts nearly a dozen cars had gone off the road as a result of the snowy conditions by 9 a.m. Interstate 71 and Interstate 275 were both closed as a result of vehicle crashes caused by the snow.

In Indianapolis, dozens of weather related vehicle crashes were reported throughout the day and highways all around the city were closed as crews struggled to keep up with the changing, and worsening driving conditions.

There is no substitute for excellent defensive driving skills when the weather turns ugly. Highway crews do their best to keep the roads clear and safe, but even without snow piles the going is dangerous. Black ice is a common problem; when the ice on the road is dark colored and hardly visible to oncoming drivers, usually in areas where the wind is strongest across the roadway, presenting a dangerous slick spot when the drivers least expect it.

If you live in an area where unpredictable winter weather is, well, predictable, it is best to take precautions on your own. Be certain you have proper air pressure in your tires, and be certain to check the condition of your spare. Also keep a snow scraper and battery cables in your trunk, and don’t plan and getting any where in a hurry. It is always better to arrive at your destination safe and late, than to not arrive at all.

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net