Wiant was one of two women who pushed hard for the law a few years ago, after her son David Money died in a car accident near Columbus. Authorities at the time had trouble identifying his next of kin, and she was told of her son’s death by a hospital employee over the phone.
“I will never get back what the hospital took from me,” Wiant said. “I didn’t get to be with David after the accident happened. That’s not fair to anyone.”
Ever since the law was approved, Wiant has tried to make people aware of the database. She even worked with the Cincinnati Reds to advertise on a sign along the outfield wall. In her home, she keeps a thick book filled with the names and phone numbers of reporters and legislators she’s called to raise awareness of the database. But of almost 8 million Ohio drivers, less than 150,000 have signed up for the registry.
“I don’t know where else to go with it,” Wiant said.
Recently, legislation has been proposed that would require employees at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to hand out forms registering drivers for the database when they renew or seek a new license.
In the meantime, Wiant said she will likely push even harder to make people aware of the database.
“When I’m at Walmart, I stop and tell people about it at Walmart,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355.
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