4.1.10
Councilman Ginther proposing ban on ‘texting while driving’
By: Ike Mgbatogu - www.Cleveland.com
If you ask Andrew Ginther, chair of the Columbus City Council Public Safety Committee, why the city should join a growing roster of towns looking to ban “texting while driving,” he would simply point you to the glaring statistics that he says speak for themselves.
In 2008, in the United States, “about 6,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver,” said Ginther, citing a study conducted by Virginia Tech for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
That study, said Ginther, revealed that over half a million people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. What’s more, 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involved some form of distraction.
“Texting while driving,” some would argue, is the worst kind of traffic distraction. So, Ginther is proposing a legislation that would ban it in Columbus to improve road safety in the city.
He said he plans to introduce the legislation for first reading at the April 5 council meeting.
His proposal will ban all aspects of distraction involving “texting while driving” including the use of mobile devices to send, receive, or read text messages while behind the wheel.
“All forms of distracted driving are dangerous but texting while driving is especially dangerous because it takes drivers’ hands, eyes and mind off the road,” said Ginther. “When a driver’s attention is not completely on controlling their vehicle, it puts the driver, their passengers, other motorists and pedestrians in danger.”
Ginther said he understands the need to connect to our loved ones in a high-tech society but, at the same time, he said drivers should focus on driving, and on nothing else.
“In this day and age of instant communications, many people feel the need to be connected with friends, family, co-workers and social-networking sites no matter where they are,” he said. “Unfortunately, some enjoy this ability to transmit and receive information while they should be focused [on] more important task - driving.”
Columbus, Pickerington and Hilliard are the other central Ohio cities considering joining a phalanx of other cities, notably District of Columbia as well as three Ohio cities: Cleveland, Toledo and Bexley, that have passed “texting while driving” laws.
Also, 19 other states have banned “texting while driving.”
Ohio is not one of them.
Incidentally, Ginther’s proposal comes at a time when Ohio is working on its own ‘texting ban’ legislation. But even as he expressed the need for a standard texting ban law in the state, he said he is not sure when the state law will be finalized, and because of that, intends to move forward with Columbus law.
“I know that leaders in the statehouse are crafting a texting while driving ban and I look forward to a uniform standard for Ohio. But, we do not know when or if they will complete their work and Columbus residents cannot wait for a finished product,” said Ginther.
“That’s why it is critical to move forward on the local level to improve safety on Columbus roads,” he said.
Violation would be a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum fine of $150 but, most importantly, it would be a primary offense, meaning the Police can stop and cite violating drivers just for that.
Columbus public safety leaders couldn’t agree more.
“This is a real and genuine concern for law enforcement,” said Seth Walker, Columbus Deputy Public Safety Director. He said a “ban on texting while driving will not only make our roadways safer but will also drive home the seriousness of this behavior.”
Walker and Ginther praised the success of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign, which they said was instrumental in raising the national seatbelt usage to 83 percent. In their eyes, a similar campaign could raise the profile of “texting while driving” as a traffic offense to help reduce the number of road accidents caused by texting distraction.
Ginther held the second of two public hearings on March 30 at the City Hall
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