Law enforcement remind drivers to stay focused on the road

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The Zanesville post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to stay focused on the road and not become distracted by things such as cell phones while driving.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Lt. Matt Boyd said Ohio State Troopers have placed an increased emphasis on stopping distracted driving. He said last year alone there were almost 14 thousand crashes in Ohio and 51 were fatal.

“What we see a time when people are distracted while they’re driving is we’ll see lane violations, following other vehicles too close, speed changes, …and just not paying attention to what they’re doing. So, it creates a situation where they’re committing other types of traffic violation and those are the type of things we’re looking for,” said Lt. Boyd.

Lt. Boyd said everytime a driver takes their eyes off the road, they put their lives and the lives of others in danger. He said over 80 percent of people polled say texting while driving should be illegal but, over a third of those same people admit to texting while driving.

“A gentleman came pass me as I was pulled off at the side of the road and he was all over the place. He was trying to (connect) the blue tooth to his car. We see a lot of things that take peoples minds off the road. A vehicle traveling down the roadway. A couple ton vehicle is very deadly when the drivers not paying attention,” said Lt. Boyd.

Lt. Boyd said if a person is texting or reading a text they are eight more times likely to be involved in a crash then if they weren’t driving distracted.