Ohio senator caught driving during Zoom call while discussing harsher penalties for — distracted driving

You’ve really got to have some nerve to join a discussion about a rule for distracted driving while driving. Seems hilarious, but it actually happened. The Ohio State Controlling Board held a meeting a few years ago to discuss the ban on distracted driving, reported The Guardian. Among many was Senator Andrew Brenner, who hopped onto the Zoom call while his seat belt was still strapped on. In a clip shared by NBC News, the senator appeared to be seated in the front seat of his parked car at the beginning of the meeting. Very soon, this glimpse was shifted into a home setting in the background, but his prominent seatbelt revealed he wasn’t really home. Turns out, he was driving throughout the call. 

The board held the meeting online, which was livestreamed to the public, to discuss the penalty for distracted driving. Considering the dangers of calling, texting, or any other form of disturbance, the meeting was held to ban the act altogether. As the meeting began, one could visibly see Brenner in his front seat with groceries in the back. He quickly shifted his background to a wooden home ambiance, but it wasn’t long before it was realized that the background was just a virtual one. Popping proudly was the senator’s seatbelt on his chest and his arm out on the steering wheel. 

As his head moved constantly to focus on the road and turn, it was soon very obvious that he was driving while the call was on. It seems like he was keen to follow rules but forgot to abide by all of them. According to the Columbus Dispatch, when asked about his actions, Brenner said he found nothing wrong with them. “I wasn’t distracted. I was paying attention to the driving and listening to it [the meeting],” he defended himself. He went on to reveal that he has often been on calls as such while driving. “But on video calls, I’m not paying attention to the video. To me, it’s like a phone call,” he remarked.

It all seemed ironic — first, the fact that he was discussing distracted driving while driving himself; second, that he was a part of such a crucial meeting and blatantly said he “didn’t pay attention”; and thirdly, casually admitting he was on several calls as such when the topic being discussed is the dangers of doing all of the above. Very soon, the legislature announced House Bill 283, which banned writing or reading texts, making or answering phone calls, or even livestreaming while driving. Even holding a device like a mobile phone can be considered an offense. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is a serious safety concern across the country. 

Sharing an eye-opening analogy, it was revealed that if a person is driving at 55mph, they can cover an entire football field’s course within 5 seconds. Now, imagine the damage a person is susceptible to if they decide to take a quick look at their screen to read or drop a text for 5 seconds while driving. Over 3,000 people lost their lives in 2023 due to driving without complete focus and attention. In a report, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that he plans to increase the budget for such laws because they are greatly necessary. He noted that the then-prevalent laws didn’t cover dangerous driving and “people are dying because of it.” 

“Distracted driving is a choice that must be as culturally unacceptable as drunk driving is today, and strengthening our current laws will lead to more responsible driving,” he remarked. @hippiesoul6576 wrote, “The cops need to go to his door and give him a ticket! After all, he was caught on camera!” @gabrielgc4uf remarked, “So those are the people in charge of us?” 

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