The Ohio traffic laws and their strict enforcement are legendary around the country with people who follow these sorts of things. But it is a fact of life for drivers here. We recently got another reminder when a three-judge Court of Appeals panel expanded upon the bobble rule.
The bobble rule
The bobble rule applies when a driver momentarily bobbles outside their lane. This is a traffic offense where drivers can be pulled over and cited. The expansion of that rule applies to drivers stopping at stop lights. In this case, the driver must stop before the painted bar on the road in front of the crosswalk. Law enforcement can write a citation if even the front tires are just touching that painted bar.
This rule has been verified by news story about a driver in Marietta who was pulled over for stopping on the stop bar. Once the State Patrol Officer pulled the driver over, he also determined that the driver was operating his vehicle while under the influence. Using evidence from the officer’s dashcam, the defendant fought the premise of the stop and won.
This verdict led the prosecution to Appeals Court, where the judges accepted the patrolman’s premise. Their reasoning was that the officer made the stop valid because he was able to articulate that he was a person of reasonable caution who believed the driver had committed a crime.
A driver needs to protect their rights
The driver is now standing trial for driving under the influence, but they still had the right idea is challenging the reason for the stop. Drivers need to make sure that law enforcement does not overstep their authority, when pulling a person over or issuing a ticket.
