Michigan police officers cracking down on distracted driving in April
(CBS DETROIT) - Months after the state of Michigan implemented the new hands-free law, police officers will be cracking down on distracted drivers during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.
Officers across the state will continue enforcing the new law that took effect on June 30, 2023, and prohibits drivers from handling their phones unless they call 911 or if the phones are in mounts.
State officials say anyone who violated the law will have to pay a $100 ticket or complete 16 community service hours for their first offense, pay $250 or complete 24 hours of community service for the second offense, or complete a driving-improvement course if a third offense was within a three-year period.
Fines will double if the driver causes a crash.
"Any activity that takes your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel is extremely reckless and puts you and other roadway users at risk," Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a statement.
"Determining whether a distraction was a factor in a crash isn't always easy to ascertain, and because of this, we know distracted driving is underrepresented in crash reports. In an effort to encourage safer driving behaviors, officers will be stepping up enforcement and ticketing anyone who is caught texting or committing other hands-free law violations while driving."
The Michigan crash data show that 15,441 crashes involved distracted driving in 2022. More than 50 of those crashes were fatal. State officials say the most common type of crash is rear-ended crashes.