Distracted Driver - Hometownstations.com-WLIO- Lima, OH News Weather Sports

Every year thousands of Ohioans are involved in distracted related car accidents, so the Ohio department of transportation has made April distracted driving awareness month.

Does it ever make you nervous driving and you look over at the car next to you and see them looking down at there phone sending a text message.  Well you are not alone.

Steven Tooker of Lima says that if they are sitting at a stop sign or stop light then its ok, but if they are driving they shouldn't be doing it.

Sue Adams a retiree says that its makes her mad there mind is just not on the road and just really upsets her.  

Over the last two years there have been over two hundred and ten driving accidents that have been caused by distracted drivers in Allen County alone.  This ranks Allen County as the fourth highest out of the twelve counties in our district.

Sergeant Kristi Bennett says that its like driving and driving at this point because it delays your reaction time so much and if you are involved in your text your not paying attention to the break lights ahead of you.

It might surprise you that on average sending or receiving a text message takes your eyes off the road for just over four and half seconds. Now this might not sound like much but at fifty five mph that is equal to the distance of an entire football field.  This leads us to the question should it be illegal to text and drive?

Mirv Adams a retired Insurance Agent says he wishes that all the states would pass a law prohibiting texting while driving, its just unsafe.

Steven Tooker says that he doesn't feel that right should be taken away from us that just wouldn't be right.

Sergeant Bennett of the state highway patrol says the best thing we can do for now is to instruct drivers about the dangers of texting while driving and hope they take warnings to heart.