LANSING (WWJ) -- April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and a new bill introduced in the Michigan State Senate is aiming to crack down on Michigan drivers who use their phones behind the wheel.
Sen. Ruth Johnson reintroduced legislation this week that would expand the state’s current texting-while-driving ban to al portable electronic devices unless they are being used by the driver in a “hands-free manner.”
Senate Bill 409 would prohibit a driver from holding or using a portable electronic device on a highway or street in Michigan. Drivers could still use their phone hands-free with bluetooth or a windshield or dash mount using voice-activated features like Siri, or a single tap or swipe to answer a call.
The bill would make distracted driving eligible for primary enforcement by police. Repeat violators could have one point assessed on their driver’s license for a second violation and two points for each subsequent violation, in addition to a ticket.
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More than 700 people in the U.S. are injured each day in distracted driving crashes, while more than 3,000 people are killed each year, according to Johnson.
“Every one of these lost lives is a tragedy because it is 100% preventable,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “Although it is important to raise awareness of this deadly problem, we must do more.”
Johnson says her legislation would have Michigan join 26 other states with hands-free driving laws to “better ensure that no more of our families have to endure the heartbreak of losing a loved one due to distracted driving.”
Michigan already has laws banning texting and driving, but Johnson says it’s often difficult for law enforcement to identify a distracted driver who is texting rather than doing something else on their phone.
“The problem is activities like using social media, surfing the internet or taking pictures while driving are equally distracting and dangerous,” Johnson said.
Distracted driving was responsible for 3,142 deaths in the U.S. in 2019, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study shows drivers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to cause an accident than other drivers.
Preliminary numbers from the Transportation Improvement Association indicated there were more than 14,000 motor vehicle crashes in Michigan in 2020, resulting in 5,559 injuries and 51 deaths. All those numbers are slightly down from 2019, when there were more than 18,000 crashes resulting in 6,842 injuries and 70 deaths.
Jim Santilli, CEO of TIA, has been working on hands-free legislative efforts in Michigan since 2016. He says he strongly supports Johnson’s new bill.
“When operating a motor vehicle, we all have a personal responsibility to protect our life and the lives of the innocent people traveling around us,” Santilli said. “No text message, social media update, video chat, or any other distraction is worth putting a life in jeopardy. I commend Sen. Johnson and the bipartisan cosponsors for their commitment to ensuring all people return home to their loved ones each day.”
In December 2010, 16-year-old Romeo High School student Ally Zimmerman was hit by a distracted driver and later died from her injuries. Her mother, Laurel Zimmerman, also supports the new efforts to make Michigan roadways safer.
“I commend Sen. Johnson for introducing a hands-free bill. Too many families have lost a loved one due to distracted driving. Ally was passionate about helping others and would want this bill passed.”