The activists staged a rally at the statehouse in Columbus this afternoon. It included relatives of people who've been killed by motorists who were distracted by their own texting.
Talking to the crowd of about 50, a co-sponsor of the proposed ban, State Representative Rex Damschroder, dismissed the argument from critics that texting anytime is a right.
"We have laws in place to prevent drunk driving," says Damschroder. "I don't hear many people saying banning drunk driving is a violation of personal freedoms. There are studies that show that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving."
Next week, the housed-passed measure banning texting-while-driving gets its first hearing in a senate committee. Several Ohio cities have passed texting bans, but safety advocates say a uniform statewide version would be better.