COLUMBUS, Ohio. — In recognition of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has joined forces with other members of the 6-State Trooper Project to enforce distracted driving laws during the first week of April.
The initiative began on Monday, April 1, and will continue through Monday, April 8, according to a news release.
The campaign will include the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and West Virginia State Police.
The enforcement initiative will be focusing primarily on violations of driving while texting, use of devices under 18, distracted driving enhancement and federal motor carrier.
In October 2023, new distracted driving laws became enforceable in Ohio. In the final three months of the year, troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 3,575 citations for distracted driving violations. This is a 119% increase from 2022.
Ohio also saw 28 distracted-driving-related fatal crashes in 2023, the lowest total over the last five years.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
