Throughout April, Ohio and other states across the nation amp up campaigns to alert motorists of the life-threatening dangers posed by distracted driving — as they should.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that on average 3,000 people die in auto accidents attributed to distracted driving every year. That accounts for about 10% of all fatal motor vehicle collisions on roads across the United States.

Too many motorists in our country, state and region casually play Russian Roulette with their lives by attempting to multitask — most often with cellphones — while driving.

That’s why this newspaper is thankful that legislators finally came to their senses last year and enacted a law that makes distracted driving a primary driving offense. For years, the Buckeye State embarrassingly ranked among a small minority of states that made distracted driving only a secondary offense, meaning that drivers could receive a citation for that offense only if they were pulled over for another infraction, such as speeding or weaving into another lane.

We commend those legislators, local police agencies and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which has led the charge in enforcement of the new law and in conducting comprehensive public awareness campaigns throughout the state.

Those efforts clearly have paid off. The OSHP reports on its statewide Distracted Driving Dashboard a 45% decrease in serious and fatal vehicle crashes attributed to distracted driving in the state through April 15 of this year compared with the first 3.5 months of 2023.

As a side note, the early success of ramping up distracted driving from a secondary to primary offense should motivate Ohio legislators to similarly upgrade this state’s seat belt law from a secondary to a primary offense. Gov. Mike DeWine made an impassioned plea to legislators to make that change in his State of the State address last week. Given that the CDC reports seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about 50% and save about 15,000 American lives annually, the General Assembly should double down on traffic safety by following the governor’s sage advice as expeditiously as possible.

Yet when it comes to responsible driving, seat belt and distracted driving laws can only go so far. After all, thousands of Americans continue to die as a result of distracted driving in the majority of states that make the behavior a primary offense.

Ultimately, it will be the personal responsibility of individual motorists that will drive down the toll of distracted driving. That means fully recognizing the many risks of using their smartphones, tablets, laptops or other electronic devices while navigating roadways even if only for a few split seconds.

As a starter for such attitude adjustment, motorists must first fully recognize the risks. Data from the National Safety Council and other groups show:

•   Drivers using cellphones are four times as likely to be in a crash. About 1 out of every 4 motor vehicle crashes involves cellphone use.

•   Some 26% of crashes involve talking on hand-held and hands-free cellphones. Hands-free is not risk-free. Hands-free phones do not eliminate cognitive distraction.

•   Drivers who are texting are eight to 23 times more likely to cause a crash.

•   Driving distracted is widely recognized as just as dangerous as driving intoxicated.

•   Driving while using a cellphone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.

Another motivation to give one’s full attention to the road while driving comes from the stiffer fines and penalties Ohioans face when cited for distracted driving.

The penalties include a fine of up to $150 and two points on your license for the first offense, a fine of up to $250 and three points on your license for a second offense within two years and a fine of up to $500, four points on your license and a 90-day driver’s license suspension for a third offense within two years. What’s more, fines are doubled for those who use cellphones while driving in a work zone.

Of course, however, it should not take the long arm of the law to force drivers to use a little common sense about driving distracted. Those who value their lives above momentary self-gratification in completing a text with rapid-fire speed would do well to heed the chilling message plastered on a highway sign along Interstate 680 in Youngstown and on other roads across Ohio: “This could be your last text.”