During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Ohio traffic crashes and fatalities dropped. Regrettably, those numbers are back up, exceeding even 2019’s crash statistics. According to the Dayton Daily News and Ohio Department of Public Safety, accident numbers have fluctuated over the last four years.
If you’re involved in a wreck due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, help is available. The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you recover compensation for your injuries. Here’s what you need to know about distracted driving accidents.
Traffic crash and fatality statistics
In 2019, there were 296,474 traffic crashes in Ohio state. That number dropped to a low of 245,829 in 2020, when most people were staying home and off the roads. In 2021, crashes rose—and 2022 exceeded 2019 numbers by about 70,000 accidents. Similarly, there were 1,356 traffic fatalities in 2021. That number rose by about 400 in 2022. What’s responsible for this increase?
Distracted driving leads to accidents and new laws
Distracted driving causes a small but significant—and growing—portion of traffic accidents. From 2019 to 2022, over 46,000 crashes were deemed to be caused by or related to distracted driving. They resulted in 151 deaths and numerous serious injuries.
According to the Dayton Daily News, “the most common variables identified as relating to crashes were young, inexperienced (but not underage) drivers and elderly drivers. In each area county and statewide, those groups were involved in roughly equal numbers of crashes — and together made up about half of all such accidents, far more than any other factors.” Drivers in these categories should take extra care to avoid distractions.
Distracted driving occurs when anything takes a driver’s attention off the road, from texting to talking to passengers. To address this issue, state lawmakers have implemented distracted driving provisions in Senate Bill 288. The new law lets drivers “let drivers talk on the phone so long as it’s held to their ear instead of looking at it, and still let them look at phones while stopped at a traffic signal. [State Representative] Lampton said the bill also allows “one swipe” on a screen, just not a prolonged look.” These new rules will take effect in March 2023.
44 states have distracted driving laws, and as a result, traffic deaths dropped consistently in the two years following their passage. Lawmakers hope distracted driving crashes and deaths drop similarly in Ohio.
Call an Ohio personal injury lawyer today
The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you with your distracted driving car accident case. When you’re the victim of negligence or recklessness, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (800) 556-4769 so that I can evaluate your case right away.