Michigan House passes updated distracted driving bills
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The second time was the charm in the Michigan House this week for a package of bills that would change our state's distracted driving laws.
If passed by the state Senate and signed by the governor, using things like social media, streaming sites and Zoom calls while driving could land you a ticket.
"Current Michigan laws only cover texting while driving, but say nothing about social media use while driving," said State Rep. Matt Koleszar. "Being on a Zoom call while driving … the technology has just passed our laws. So the big thing that this legislation does as well is it updates the statute to correspond with the technology that we have available to us."
Across the country, more than 3,500 people were killed by distracted driving last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A statistic made even clearer by AAA of Michigan.
"Looking away from the roadway for just two seconds doubles the risk of a crash," said Adrienne Woodland, a spokesperson with AAA of Michigan. "Five seconds of reading an email or a text is like driving across a football field while blindfolded."
Koleszar tells CBS News Detroit that other states have seen improvements in distracted driving by implementing similar laws.
"Other states that have passed these laws have seen distracted driving, accidents decline. They've seen fatalities due to distracted accidents decline. So this legislation will save lives," he said.
State Rep. Mike Mueller who sponsored part of the package says there are exceptions written into the bills.
"There's exceptions for calling 911 for medical emergencies to report an accident. You can pick it up to make, a simple swipe and to be able to open up the phone and you can put it in a hands-free device holder," Mueller said.
There are different consequences for first, second and third violations.
"The legal consequences for a first violation is a $100 ticket, second offense is $250, third offense is $250, and you have to pay for a drivers education program and all of this has to happen within a three-year period," said State Rep. Tyrone Carter, another one of the bill's sponsors.
But the legislation didn't pass unanimously earlier this week
"Criminalizing phone usage, whether for GPS or a call from your job that you cannot miss, is ridiculous," State Rep. Steve Carra said. "This bill discriminates against those with vehicles that don't offer hands-free technology."