COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) —  Ohio’s new distracted driving law takes effect Tuesday, meaning if you are seen driving with your cell phone in your hand, you could be pulled over.

Leah Fullenkamp, a mother of four, became a widow in 2018 after a distracted driver hit and killed her husband.

“I can’t think of anything that I’ve ever done at any point on my phone that is worth hurting or killing myself or someone else over,” she said. “Ohio has taken a big step forward in the prevention of distracted driving, this is a huge accomplishment. And through these efforts, my hope is that my family’s story does not become your family’s story.”

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, distracted driving has caused at least 60,421 crashes and 209 deaths. The new distracted driving law aims to curb those numbers.

“This law will clearly save lives,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

“We know every time someone takes their focus off the road, even for just a few seconds, they put their life and the lives of others in danger,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Col. Charles Jones said.

While the new law does go into effect on Tuesday, these next six months will be spent as an educational period and DeWine launched a statewide campaign that will help educate Ohioans.

“You’re going to see it, you’re going to hear, it’s going to be on social media,” DeWine said. “It’s going to be surrounding people for the next few months.”

If you get pulled over for distracted driving between now and Oct. 4, you’ll get a warning and the officer will educate you about the new law.

But after that, the first offense is a $150 ticket, a second is $250, a third is $500, and those are all doubled if you violate the law in a work zone.

“It is our hope that, through this new law, we can stop them before they crash and injure others or themselves,” DeWine said.

Violations of this law include scrolling on social media and texting. It does not include holding your phone to your ear for a phone call or instances where you are using your phone in the case of an emergency.