Page 35 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – January 2019

By William J. Purpura
Columbus Police Officer Keith Conner is a 19-year law enforcement veteran that you’re either going to love or hate.
If you’re among the throngs of motorists who drive distracted with a cellphone, Conner will be your worst nightmare. If, however, you stand with those who are sick and tired of the carnage left behind by those drivers, Conner is your knight in shining armor.
This Columbus police officer holds the distinction
of issuing the most distracted-driving citations and warnings of any police officer in any agency in Ohio, according to the Columbus Division of Police. In the past two-and-a-half years, Conner has issued 661 citations and more than 4,400 warnings to distracted drivers,
all while carrying out his regular duties as a Columbus police officer.
Conner’s mission to put a dent in the distracted driving problem began in June 2016 when an elderly
gentleman texting on a flip phone ran him off the road and into a bus stop of waiting riders. Later that same day the officer encountered a female distracted driver.
“I could see her coming; her head was down the entire time,” recalled Conner. “She didn’t even catch the curve and she just came right at me head on.
“I had two experiences in one day, and I just said, ‘Enough’s enough.’ It’s gotten so far out of control. People are dying.”
Conner started doing some research after his two near misses. The statistics he found on the National Transportation Safety Board website revealed that every day on America’s roads nine people are killed and 1,300 are being injured or seriously maimed due to distracted drivers.
Conner doesn’t believe those numbers.
“They’re saying one out of every four accidents is cellphone related,” said Conner. “I think it’s probably 50 percent or more. That is my professional opinion,
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