Throughout Ohio in 2018, 51 people died and 6,800 others were injured as a result of crashes due to distracted driving.

“National Distracted Driving Awareness Month is the perfect time to make the commitment to yourself and to your family to eliminate distractions, such as cell phones, while you drive,” Governor Mike DeWine said in a media release.

Sending or receiving a text message while driving takes a driver’s attention off the roadway for about 4.6 seconds. A person can drive the length of a football field in that amount of time while going 55 mph, the release states.

The passage of Ohio House Bill 95 in 2018 broadened the scope of what can be considered distracted driving across the state. Distracted driving can be any activity that takes a person’s visual, manual or cognitive attention off the road.

“Every time someone takes their eyes off the road — even for just a few seconds — they put their lives and the lives of others in danger,” Lieutenant Matt Boyd, Commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Zanesville Post, said. “Distracted driving is unsafe and irresponsible. In a split second, its consequences can be devastating.”

In addition to keeping all necessary attention on the roadway, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, along with the Governor’s Office, is encouraging drivers to “move over” as construction and road work increases during warmer months.

The Move Over Law requires drivers to merge into an adjacent lane when coming up on a vehicle that is stationed on the side of the road with flashing or rotating lights on.

If moving to another lane is not possible before approaching the vehicle, drivers must slow down and proceed with a higher level of caution.

“As a driver, when you move over, you are doing your part to help protect the lives of everyone who works on or uses our roadways,” Boyd said in the release. “Every Move Over crash in preventable So, moving over isn’t just the law; it’s the right thing to do.”