The I-70 freeway and associated interchanges around the Columbus area present some stretches more prone to motor vehicle accidents. During the rush of the daily commuter traffic, accident risk rises.
Despite improvements to local roadways, there are some things that infrastructure improvements cannot stop. Driver error, namely those involving distractions, are still on the rise around the Columbus area. Learn more about what the law considers distracted driving.
Texting while driving
The basis for Ohio’s distracted driving law was the high number of crashes involving someone texting while driving. Smartphones make it easy to communicate with others in various ways. Emails, texts, social media posts all require a measure of attention. While navigating the roadway, drivers who partake in these activities are negligent and put others around them at risk. It only takes a few seconds to look away from the road ahead to cause an accident.
Eating and navigating while driving
Other forms of distraction exist within the confines of a truck bed or passenger car. While a cellphone is the primary culprit in many distracted driving crashes, other things drivers do may still prove risky. Any activity behind the wheel that causes a driver’s attention to shift away from the task is a distraction. This includes:
- Eating or drinking
- Changing a radio station
- Reading a GPS map
- Using the infotainment center
- Other passengers
- Pets
Distracted driving is still the primary cause of most traffic accidents. As such, every driver has a responsibility to put everything away and concentrate on the road ahead.