(WWJ) It is now illegal in Michigan to have your phone in your hand while you're driving. Period.
The state's new, stricter hands-free districted driving law is now in effect, as of Friday June 30, 2023.
This means no cell phone use while driving — not even at a stop sign or a red light — or you could be fined $100 for a first offense, or $250 for a second. Fines are doubled if the infraction occurs during a crash.
Michigan is now the 26th state in the U.S. to enact a law like this one.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday launched a new public service announcement reminding Michiganders of the new law.
“I was proud to sign bipartisan legislation earlier this month to reduce distracted driving in Michigan and save lives,” said Whitmer, in a statement. “The new law is a step toward reducing distracted driving deaths and making sure everyone can be safe on their way to school, home, or work. By each doing our part to set down the phone and keep our hands, eyes, and mind on the road, we can all contribute to our goal to see zero traffic deaths by 2050.”
Go Hands-Free PSA
After introducing a hands-free law in April, Ohio has seen a 9% drop in distracted driving in just one month, preventing over 500 crashes, Whitmer's office said.
Metro Detroiters sounding off on the issue to WWJ's Charlie Langton Friday morning were largely in favor of the new law.
"Well, you can't keep that phone in your hand and you can't be looking off the road and all that, because if you don't you're gonna hit a deer or something like that, so it's just difficult," said Hubie form Detroit.
Trent from Southfield said he's happy with the changes to the law.
"I love that idea," he told Langton. "Mine don't get answered when I'm driving, period. Don't care who's calling me."
Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said while there are improvements in some areas, there is still much work to be done to stop risky-driving behaviors like distracted driving.
“We need to take distracted driving as seriously as we do drunk or drugged driving because they all have similar, tragic outcomes,” said Bower. “This new law helps deter people from holding and manually using their mobile devices while driving. With the assistance of available technology, there is no excuse to take your hands off the wheel. Our message is simple: Just drive. We must educate drivers about these dangerous driving behaviors as we work to save lives and prevent crashes and fatalities on our roads.”
The law makes holding or using a cell phone while driving a primary offense -- meaning an officer could pull someone over and ticket them for this offense. The new legislation specifically states, however, that police would not be allowed to search a driver solely because of a hands-free violation.
Get complete details about what's allowed, and what's not under the new law at this link.
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