COLUMBUS -- An Ohio Senator want tougher penalties for wrong-way drivers. Ohio Senator Jim Hughes wants to close a loophole that allows a driver who drives the wrong on a road and is drunk and injures another person to only face a misdemeanor charge.
"We're increasing that to a felony in the third degree and what we're doing is there's three factors they have to have," says Sen. Jim Hughes, who will introduce this legislation.
If the changes are approved, a person who drives more than 500 feet on the wrong side of an interstate, injures someone, and are under the influence would face a felony.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says wrong-way drivers have caused more than 2,000 deaths in a five-year period.
"We're increasing that to a felony in the third degree and what we're doing is there's three factors they have to have," says Sen. Jim Hughes, who will introduce this legislation.
If the changes are approved, a person who drives more than 500 feet on the wrong side of an interstate, injures someone, and are under the influence would face a felony.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says wrong-way drivers have caused more than 2,000 deaths in a five-year period.
