For Immediate Release
March 16, 2011
Dublin texting ban goes into effect today
(DUBLIN, Ohio) - The City of Dublin joins several other Central Ohio communities in battling texting and driving by passing a texting ban ordinance that takes effect today.
The ban strengthens the existing distracted driving ordinance by making texting a primary offense and a fourth degree misdemeanor. A fourth degree misdemeanor can result in a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. The ordinance prohibits “sending, reading or writing a text message or accessing the Internet while driving.”
“Council prioritized an education and awareness campaign launched prior to the holiday to help create awareness that texting kills,” said Dublin City Council Member Mike Keenan, the Council member who initiated the texting ban this past fall.
Keenan’s daughter, a student at Miami University of Ohio, lost a friend, Eben Wildman from Springfield, Ohio, this fall texting while driving. The City has created a premier website titled Dublin Cares that features a special PSA about texting and driving.
The Dublin Cares campaign, the first anti-texting campaign in Central Ohio, was a multi-jurisdictional collaborative effort among the City, Dublin City Schools and Washington Township. This campaign continues its efforts in creating awareness about the danger of texting and driving as well as underage drinking.
For more information
Contact: Megan Canavan at 614.410.4504 | 614.327.6827 | mcanavan@dublin.oh.us | Twitter: @dublinohio