The Ohio State Highway Patrol joins 5 other agencies from other states on a new initiative that focuses on distracted driving.
OSHP joins troopers from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia on the new initiative.
Troopers started with the increased focus on distractive earlier this week and will continue through the rest of this week.
From 2016 through 2020, distracted driving has resulted in 212 lives lost on Ohio’s roadways. Sending or receiving a text message takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field when traveling at 55 mph.
“By driving distracted, you are putting yourself and the lives of others at risk,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro. “Every time someone takes their eyes off the road – even for just a split second, its consequences can be devastating.”
The 6-State Trooper Project is a multi-state law enforcement partnership aimed at providing combined and coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol and intelligence sharing.