Ohio is cracking down on distracted driving
Distracted driving is a pervasive problem on American roads, and Ohio is one of many states cracking down.
Why it matters: Around 3,300 people died nationwide in crashes attributed to distracted driving in 2022, while another 289,000 were injured, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.
Over 62,000 crashes involved distracted cellphone usage in 2022 alone, NHTSA says.
These stats likely underestimate the problem because crash data often relies on drivers self-reporting their distractions to law enforcement, National Safety Council (NSC) executive VP of safety leadership and advocacy Mark Chung tells Axios.
Zoom in: In Ohio, a 2023 law made it a primary offense to use handheld electronics while driving.
Dozens of distracted driving citations are issued every day, per state patrol data.
Fatal and serious injury crashes are down 22% thus far in 2025 compared to this time last year.
What they're saying:"We're certainly seeing less distracted driving than before the law went into effect, but we still have a long way to go," Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.
Zoom out: This month, Iowa became the 31st state to prohibit any handheld cellphone usage behind the wheel, with Gov. Kim Reynolds saying: "This legislation will save lives."
Nearly all U.S. states ban texting while driving, per the Governors Highway Safety Association, though their enforcement rules differ.
Between the lines: Despite the panic over recent flying incidents, road fatalities dwarf air fatalities every single year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump orders law enforcement to ‘liberate' LA from ‘migrant invasion' amid clashes over ICE raids
Donald Trump has vowed to 'liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion,' amid violent clashes between members of the state national guard and anti-immigration enforcement protesters. The president took to Truth Social on Sunday, where he promised that 'the Illegals will be expelled' and that the city would be 'set free,' as troops confronted demonstrators on the streets of downtown LA – using tear gas and 'less lethal munitions' to disperse crowds. 'A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals,' the president wrote. 'Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations — But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve. 'I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant Departments and Agencies, to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Tensions escalated throughout the day on Sunday, following on from unrest the previous evening. Images showed vehicles on fire, and protesters throwing fireworks towards armed and helmeted law enforcement officers. Police and demonstrators later squared off outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, with graffiti reading 'f*** ICE,' 'f*** LAPD,' written across nearby buildings. On Sunday afternoon the LAPD declared that the city was on 'tactical alert.' The force added later that an unlawful assembly had been declared in part of the city, with a dispersal order issued and arrests being made. Clashes began after ICE operations across Los Angeles County resulted in the arrests of 118 immigrants, including 44 people on Friday – according to the Department of Homeland Security. Trump also told reporters on Sunday that the administration was 'going to have troops everywhere,' even threatening to make good on the promise of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to send in U.S. Marines to help enforce order. When asked what 'the bar' was for mobilizing active duty Marines, the president replied: 'The bar is what I think it is.' 'We're gonna have troops everywhere, we're not going to let this happen to our country, we're not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.' Trump also introduced a new phrase in response to the ongoing unrest in Los Angeles. 'When they spit at people— they spit, that's their new thing—when that happens, I have a little statement: they spit, we hit,' he told reporters on Sunday... If that happens, they get hit very hard.' The phrase is reminiscent of a previous, controversial adage introduced by Trump during the protests of 2020 – 'when the looting starts, the shooting starts.' Despite the president's goading, authorities in Los Angeles urged residents to keep calm, with Governor Gavin Newsom telling Californians: 'Don't give Donald Trump what he wants.' 'Speak up. Stay peaceful. Stay calm. Do not use violence and respect the law enforcement officers that are trying their best to keep the peace,' Newsom wrote on X. He later added that the president was 'trying to manufacture a crisis in LA County — deploying troops not for order, but to create chaos.' 'Don't take the bait. Never use violence or harm law enforcement.' LA Mayor Karen Bass had similar strong words, telling KTLA on Sunday morning that she was 'very disappointed' in the president's response. 'To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it's the [Trump] administration just posturing,' she said. 'I've spoken to the governor several times…I have not yet talked to the president, but I have talked to officials high up in his administration, and I expressed to them that things were not out of control in the City of Los Angeles... To me, this is just political.' Like Newsom, Bass later issued another strong statement, writing on X: 'Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation. 'The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it's felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk. This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protestors to remain peaceful.'
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Authorizes Officials to Take 'Action Necessary to Liberate' LA
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump says he has authorized officials to resolve "lawless riots" in Los Angeles amid the outbreak of violence between protesters and law enforcement Sunday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump says Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi have all been directed "to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots." "A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals," Trump said in the post. "Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations — But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve." He ended it by saying "Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" The message comes amid a third day of demonstrations surrounding the enforcement operations of U.S. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) in the city. Multiple videos on social media showed protesters clashing with law enforcement, in various locations including Paramount, California, where people were seen throwing rocks, and being hit by rubber bullets during an hours-long confrontation. Early Sunday, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said there were three demonstrations that were peaceful. But by 3 p.m. PT, LAPD said there were arrests being made following a dispersal order and an unlawful assembly being declared at one site. The City of Los Angeles remains on tactical alert, according to the LAPD. This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a ‘mobile security crisis'
Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices, and the apps they use as a weak link in US cyberdefenses. Groups linked to China's military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and apps are and the risk that security failures could expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyberattack, those experts say. Advertisement 'The world is in a mobile security crisis right now,' said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity specialist at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. 'No one is watching the phones.' US authorities warned in December of a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign designed to gain access to the texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. 'They were able to listen in on phone calls in real-time and able to read text messages,' said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the senior Democrat on the Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, created to study the geopolitical threat from China. Advertisement Chinese hackers also sought access to phones used by Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance during the 2024 campaign. The Chinese government has denied allegations of cyberespionage, and accused the U.S. of mounting its own cyberoperations. It says America cites national security as an excuse to issue sanctions against Chinese organizations and keep Chinese technology companies from the global market. 'The U.S. has long been using all kinds of despicable methods to steal other countries' secrets,' Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said at a recent press conference in response to questions about a CIA push to recruit Chinese informants. US intelligence officials have said China poses a significant, persistent threat to US economic and political interests, and it has harnessed the tools of digital conflict: online propaganda and disinformation, artificial intelligence and cyber surveillance and espionage designed to deliver a significant advantage in any military conflict. Mobile networks are a top concern. The U.S. and many of its closest allies have banned Chinese telecom companies from their networks. Other countries, including Germany, are phasing out Chinese involvement because of security concerns. But Chinese tech firms remain a big part of the systems in many nations, giving state-controlled companies a global footprint they could exploit for cyberattacks, experts say. Chinese telecom firms still maintain some routing and cloud storage systems in the U.S. — a growing concern to lawmakers. 'The American people deserve to know if Beijing is quietly using state-owned firms to infiltrate our critical infrastructure,' US Representative John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the China committee, which in April issued subpoenas to Chinese telecom companies seeking information about their US operations. Advertisement Mobile devices can buy stocks, launch drones, and run power plants. Their proliferation has often outpaced their security. The phones of top government officials are especially valuable, containing sensitive government information, passwords, and an insider's glimpse into policy discussions and decision-making. The White House said last week that someone impersonating Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, reached out to governors, senators, and business leaders with texts and phone calls. It's unclear how the person obtained Wiles's connections, but they apparently gained access to the contacts in her personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles's number, the newspaper reported. While most smartphones and tablets come with robust security, apps and connected devices often lack these protections or the regular software updates needed to stay ahead of new threats. That makes every fitness tracker, baby monitor or smart appliance another potential foothold for hackers looking to penetrate networks, retrieve information, or infect systems with malware. Federal officials launched a program this year creating a 'cyber trust mark' for connected devices that meet federal security standards. But consumers and officials shouldn't lower their guard, said Snehal Antani, former chief technology officer for the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command. 'They're finding backdoors in Barbie dolls,' said Antani, now CEO of a cybersecurity firm, referring to concerns from researchers who successfully hacked the microphone of a digitally connected version of the toy. It doesn't matter how secure a mobile device is if the user doesn't follow basic security precautions, especially if their device contains classified or sensitive information, experts say. Advertisement Mike Waltz, who departed as Trump's national security adviser, inadvertently added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat used to discuss military plans with other top officials. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office so he could use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, the AP has reported. Hegseth has rejected assertions that he shared classified information on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app not approved for the use of communicating classified information. China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at Syracuse University. 'They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms,' Williams said. 'We just can't share things willy-nilly.'
