FPS staff report
December 29, 2009
If the windshield wipers are on, motorists had better have the headlights on or face a fine.
Beginning this Friday (Jan. 1) Ohioans can be ticketed and fined $100 for failing to turn on their lights when their windshield wipers are on. The law took effect six months ago, but law enforcement officers have been issuing only warnings since that time.
Lt. Anthony Bradshaw of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said motorists must turn on their headlights “anytime when the windshield wipers of the vehicle are in use because of precipitation,” including rain, mist, snow, ice and fog.
“You want to make sure people coming down the road can see you,” he said.
The law is a secondary offense, meaning motorists cannot be pulled over for failing to obey the law. They must first be pulled over for something else, such as speeding, before they can be ticketed and fined for not having their headlights on.
Law enforcement officers will continue to issue warnings until April 7, 2010 for Ohio’s revised child restraint law. The law, which went into effect Oct. 7, 2009, requires children less than 8 years old, unless they are at least four feet, nine inches tall, to use a booster seat. The old law required children less than four years old or 40 pounds to use a child safety seat.
Once officers begin issuing tickets in April, fines will range from a minimum of $25 to a maximum of $75 per occurence. |
