Ohio lawmakers voted Wednesday to increase penalties for people found guilty of stunt driving, street takeovers and attempting to flee law enforcement.
The bill focuses on irresponsible behavior associated with reckless driving. The practice, also called hooning, often involves drifting, donuts and wheelies in public areas, with some occupants in unsafe places in the vehicle, such as hanging out of a window or trunk. The incidents often draw large crowds and block intersections.
Drivers are sometimes motivated by views on social media. A video of cars spinning through the Lytle Tunnel in Cincinnati, blocking traffic on Interstate 71, on September 30, 2023, has been viewed millions of times.
“These are basically stunt cars driving street races, which is happening all over the state of Ohio, creating a very dangerous situation, putting their own lives at risk and certainly putting other lives at risk,” Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, said before the Senate vote Wednesday.
Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo, said dangerous driving also causes damage to property and infrastructure.
“It also impacts municipal and local governments because some of these activities actually impact the infrastructure and road surfaces in some of these places,” said Hicks-Hudson.
House Bill 56, sponsored by Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, and Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, passed 31-0. It passed the House with overwhelming support in December and now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dangerous drivers and evaders could face longer prison sentences
