Columbus cop writes 900th distracted driving ticket to person watching movie

Columbus drivers seem to be doing a whole lot more than just steering, accelerating, and braking.

The Columbus Division of Police shared on Facebook that Officer Keith Conner has issued over 900 distracted driving tickets in 3.5 years—the most recent to a person watching a movie while behind the wheel on January 31.

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“DISTRACTED DRIVING: It’s not worth it,” wrote Columbus Police. “It endangers lives & tickets are costly.”

Officer Conner told ABC6 that a citation can run around $180. He added that he has a 99.5% conviction rate because the evidence against distracted drivers is so clear.

“Please be careful behind the wheel for your safety and others,” reminded Columbus Police.

In October 2018, House Bill 95 went into effect, giving law enforcement the freedom to cite any driver that is engaging in “any activity that is not necessary for the vehicle’s operation and that impairs, or reasonably would be expected to impair, the driver’s ability to drive safely.”

Also in October 2018, Columbus Police shared a video of a distracted driver who put her head down to check her phone 14 times before he realized a cop was right next to her.

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