Whitmer signs bills banning distracted driving on Michigan roads
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP — Drivers on Michigan's roads will soon face fines if caught with a mobile device in hand under legislation approved by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday.
"Every driver in Michigan knows their attention must be on the road, not on their phone," Whitmer said during a bill signing event held at the USA Hockey Arena named after Mitchel Kiefer, a hockey player who lost his life in a car crash involving a distracted driver.
For years, his family has called on Michigan state lawmakers to ban drivers from manually handling their phones while in the car.
"These laws in other states have been very effective at bringing down crash rates and fatalities in every state where they've been implemented," said Steve Kiefer, Mitchel's father. Whitmer thanked him and others who have lost loved ones in accidents involving distracted drivers for their advocacy.
The new distracting driving ban that bars phone use without hands-free technology will take effect June 30.
"This legislation will save lives,” said bill sponsor Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, during the signing event.
House Bills 4250, 4251 and 4252 amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to prohibit using a non-hands-free device while driving, with a few exceptions for making calls to emergency services or reporting a crime taking place.
It strengthens Michigan's current ban on texting and driving to encompass essentially all phone usage from making phone calls to posting to social media while behind the wheel. Advocates for the new law say it brings the state up to speed with modern technology.
The new law makes Michigan the 26th so-called "hands-free state" in the U.S.
Whitmer said that the work to stop distracted driving in Michigan isn't over with her signature on the new legislation. Michigan drivers and those traveling through the state need to know about the changes, she said, and a forthcoming public education campaign will aim to inform them about the new law.
In 2021, the last year with available annual data, there were 2,765 vehicle crashes where cell phone use was a factor, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Twenty-one of those crashes were fatal.
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Penalties for violating the new distracted driving law would start off with a $100 civil fine for first-time offenders and/or 16 hours of community service, followed by $250 fines for each subsequent violation, and/or 24 hours of community service.
Fines would be doubled if the penalty occurs during a car crash. Fines are also greater for school bus and commercial vehicle drivers, checking in at $200 for the first offense and $500 for every subsequent offense, and again twice as much if they occur in a crash.
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House Bill 4151, introduced by Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, requires someone who commits three violations of the new law in a three-year span to take a basic driving instruction course.
House Bill 4252, introduced by Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, requires the Michigan State Police to prepare a report on the new law 42 months after it becomes effective. The report would track racial and demographic data on traffic stops for distracted driving, as well as monitor how many crashes, serious injuries and deaths are caused by violations.
Initially, the bills did not have sufficient votes to pass the House, but the bills were amended to soften penalties for repeatedly violating the distracted driving law, and later passed with bipartisan support.
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