MEDINA, Ohio — Drivers traveling along U.S. Route 42 (Pearl Road) will notice an increase in the presence of law enforcement as state troopers and Brunswick police conduct a distracted driving enforcement initiative beginning Wednesday through Sept. 25.
The initiative will be conducted on Pearl Road from the Cuyahoga County line to Laurel Road, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Crash data revealed that U.S. Route 42 has one of the highest numbers of distracted driving-related crashes in Medina County. From Jan. 1, 2018 to present date, there have been 56 distracted driving-related crashes.
On Oct. 29, 2018, Ohio passed House Bill 95, a law that broadened what is considered as distracted driving and increased the fine if it was a contributing factor to the commission of the driving violation.
Distractions can be visual, manual, or cognitive. Texting while driving is an example that results in all three types of distraction. 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, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
