Reps. Sigrist, Odioso Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Pedestrian Safety, Clarify Vehicular Assault Laws

COLUMBUS- State Reps. Mark Sigrist (D-Grove City) and Mike Odioso (R-Green Township) today introduced House Bill (HB) 714, bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening pedestrian protections, clarifying driver responsibilities, and reinforcing penalties for serious vehicular offenses.

“I’m proud to introduce this bill because it protects pedestrians and holds negligent drivers accountable,” said Rep. Sigrist. “By strengthening penalties and clarifying the law, it sends a clear message that safety on our roads must come first.”

HB 714 updates Ohio law to ensure clearer right-of-way standards at crosswalks, if pedestrians lawfully enter a crosswalk or cross multi-lane roads. It increases penalties for repeat violations when drivers fail to yield to pedestrians.

“HB 714 creates a clearer legal standard to protect pedestrians who are lawfully entering crosswalks, including situations that involve multiple lanes of traffic, and crossing without electric walk signals,” said Rep. Odioso.

The bill increases penalties for repeat failure-to-yield violations within a one-year period and imposes additional fines when distracted driving contributes to the offense. In addition, the bill modernizes and clarifies statutory language governing pedestrian “walk” and “do not walk” signals to ensure consistency with current traffic control practices.

HB 714 maintains Ohio’s existing felony penalties and mandatory prison terms for vehicular assault involving impaired or reckless driving, while closing a gap in current law by creating a misdemeanor offense when negligent driving causes serious injury. It also modestly increases misdemeanor penalties for failure to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.

The bill has been assigned to the House Public Safety Committee and awaits its first hearing.