BEREA, Ohio — For the first time, the Ohio Turnpike and Ohio State Patrol troopers have launched a distracted driving safety initiate along two stretches of the highway.
The initiative begins this week and runs through Tuesday, September 29, 2020.
The locations are in Erie County from milepost 108 to 116 eastbound and westbound and in Summit County from milepost 174 to 190 eastbound and westbound.
Motorists will see an increased presence of troopers and additional electronic signs within these zones in an effort to reduce crashes and raise awareness.
In Ohio, from 2018 through 2019, there were 27,198 crashes involving distracted driving.
Of those crashes, 9396 were crashes where someone was hurt and 88 were fatal crashes.
Distracted driving is any non-driving activity with the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.
Distractions can be visual, taking the eyes off the road; manual, taking the hands off the wheel; or cognitive, taking the mind of the task of driving.
Texting while driving is an example of all three of the types of distraction.
Drivers are asked to use #677 to report dangerous or impaired drivers as well as illegal activity.
