Last updated: March 23, 2024
Distracted driving updates: Just under 21,000 drivers were ticketed in the first year under Minnesota’s hands-free law. Officials say distracted driving’s role in roadway fatalities was reduced significantly in the period, from about 10 percent to 6 percent of total fatalities. Distracted motorists between the ages of 21 and 40 received almost 60 percent of the hands-free citations. Fines range from $50 to $275, before fees. Officials blame distracted driving for one out of four vehicle crashes in Minnesota.
Minnesota’s new hands-free law went into effect Aug. 1, 2019. Gov. Tim Walz had vowed to sign a hands-free act and wasted no time in doing so once he received state Rep. Frank Hornstein’s handheld cell phone plan. The bill had been given final approval just days before by the House and Senate. It hikes the fine for serial offenders to $275. “Minnesotans deserve safe roads and this bipartisan bill helps prevent senseless accidents and improves our public safety,” Walz said at the April 12 signing. Read more about Minnesota’s hands-free law.
A texting while driving ban first took effect in Minnesota in 2008. It was one of the nation’s first.
Current prohibitions:
- Holding cell phones illegal for all drivers. Fines: $50 (first offense) to $275.
- Text messaging and Internet use outlawed for all drivers.
- Drivers under the age of 18 with learner’s permits or intermediate licenses are prohibited from using cell phones.
- School bus drivers barred from using cell phones for personal reasons while vehicle is in motion.
- In some cases, distracted drivers can be ticketed for reckless or careless driving, per the Office of Traffic Safety.
Read the statutes: Cell phones | teen cell phones
Read about the Minnesota seat belt law.
Distracted driving notes (2022):
Minnesota logged a 14-year high in traffic fatalities for the year 2021. Just under 500 people died on state roadways. Distracted driving was among the factors cited, which also included not wearing seat belts and speeding. The state Office of Traffic Safety also said the pandemic played a role, with some drivers acting as if police were no longer enforcing traffic laws.
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2021 distracted driving notes:
Looks like Minnesota is headed for its deadliest year on the roads since 2007. The largest number of the the 401 deaths are speed-related, although at least 18 were linked to distracted driving, the Office of Traffic Safety said in late October.
A St. James man was sentenced to 22 days in jail for a fatal crash that was linked to his distracted driving. Tashawn Ray Parker ran a stop sign and killed another man in September 2019. He was checking his GPS app for directions, officials said. In addition to 15 days in jail, the 21-year-old was ordered to spend three days in jail on the next two anniversaries of the crash. He also was told to give eight distracted driving talks at area high schools under terms of his probation.
2020 distracted driving notes:
A statewide extra enforcement campaign that coincided and with the first anniversary of the hands-free law yielded 1,403 citations. The campaign ran Aug. 1-8 and involved 230 agencies.
The Department of Public Safety launched its first 2020 campaign against distracted driving in mid-January. “Park the Phone” employs $350,000 worth of old and new media in an effort to get drivers to keep their hands off their devices.
Police wrote almost 10,000 tickets statewide in the first five months under the handheld cell phone law. The majority of citations, 4,259, involved talking on a cell phone or dialing a phone number. Another 3,033 were busted for texting & driving. And 2,168 went to those watching videos, playing games or otherwise using the Internet. Minnesota State Patrol officers said the majority of their warnings and citations went to drivers between the ages of 20 and 40, while across all agencies the offenders grouped in the 30-to-50 range.
2019 distracted driving legislation :
House File 50: Would outlaw handheld cell phone use for texting, talking or viewing videos. Fine for second or subsequent offenses: $275. Approved by the Transportation Committee in a unanimous vote of Jan. 22. Approved by the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Division Committee on March 7. Amended and approved by Ways and Means on March 11. Approved by the full House in a 106-21 vote of March 18. Amended and approved by the Senate in a 56-10 vote of March 25. Approved by conference committee April 8. Final approval by House in a 107-19 vote of April 9. Final approval by Senate in 48-12 vote of April 11. Signed into law by the governor April 12. Went into effect Aug. 1. (Hornstein)
Senate File 75: Would hike fines for texting & driving. First offense, $150; second, $300; thereafter, $500. Possible forfeiture of cell phone with three convictions. Adds negligent use of handheld cell phone to criminal vehicular homicide penalties and great bodily harm penalties. Requires driver education and driver’s manual instruction of distractions. Approved by the Transportation Committee in a voice vote of Jan. 23. Amended and approved by the Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee in a voice vote of Feb. 5. (Osmek)
SF 91: Would add handheld cell phone use to existing texting & driving ban. Also video. GPS use OK. Hands-free OK. Fine: $225 plus fees. Approved by the Transportation Committee in a voice vote of Jan. 23. Amended and approved by the Judiciary Committee in a voice vote of Feb. 5. Approved by the Senate in a 56-9 vote of April 8. (Newman)
SF 129: Would require distracted driving material in schools and in driver manuals. (Draheim)
SF 139: Seeks to increase texting fines to $175 (first offense), then $350, then $700 plus fees. New fines would be doubled if death or serious injury results. (Draheim)
2019 distracted driving notes:
The State Patrol reports just over 5,000 tickets in the first two months under Minnesota’s handheld cell phone law. There were 2,317 in August and an increased 2,729 in September. The majority of warnings and citations went to drivers between the ages of 20 and 40. “Unfortunately, some (drivers) continue to put themselves and others by risk by handling the phone or using non-navigation apps, reading texts or scrolling or typing on the phone,” the State Patrol said on social media.
A distracted driver who killed an elderly woman has been sentenced to visit her victim’s gravesite — twice. Lori Hoefs of Oronoco ran a stop sign while using a cell phone in 2016, killing Brenda Travis and injuring three others. Hoefs will also do six months in jail.
State Rep. Frank Hornstein said before his distracted driving law was enacted: “We are united and determined that 2019 will be the year that Minnesota becomes the 17th state to pass a hands-free cell phone law.” He heads the Transportation Committee. Just before the final House vote, he gave a shout out to former Rep. Mark Uglem, who carried 2018’s handheld cell phone bill but did not seek re-election.
The joint hands-free measure sailed through its final House vote April 8, but there remained some resistance. “I’m just shocked that it’s passed the floor,” said Rep. Jeremy Munson, who cited “so many questions” about the proposed law. Rep. Steve Drazkowski said the bill was “not ready for prime time.”
Gov. Tim Walz wasted no time in signing the hands-free bill: “We will sign a distracted driving bill this year, if they (lawmakers) get it to us,” he had promised. The plan sailed through its final House vote with a 106-21 margin late March 18. The vote followed lengthy debate over a series of rejected amendments. Hornstein’s bill moved on to the Senate, where an amendment accommodated users with hijabs and GPS use. The House protested and requested the conference. The hijab wording was removed in conference.
The Senate version of the distracted driving bill exempts GPS use; the House version does not. State Sen. Scott Newman said his hands-free bill’s exemption for GPS use was a concession to get the bill through. “Most of the violations occur because of making a telephone call or texting,” he says. “A very small percentage would be GPS.”
State Sen. David Osmek has filed legislation for 2019 that would equal penalties for causing an accident while using an electronic communications device and drunken driving. “It’s time we treat this issue as seriously as driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” Osmek says. “The bottom line is if you cause someone great bodily harm or death because of your actions, the penalty should fit the level of damage you have caused to other lives.” He says current laws are “very loose.” His SF 75 also would hike penalties for texting & driving. The bill won the backing of the Transportation Committee in late January.
Rep. Brian Johnson opposed House File 50, saying the law worked in favor of “the wealthy.” He cited lower income drivers who “don’t have the technology to get the Bluetooth or one-touch.”
Police across Minnesota wrote 9,545 citations for texting in 2018, according to Department of Public Safety numbers released Jan. 23. That’s up almost 30 percent from the year before.
“It’s time for us to get some teeth into the (distracted driving) law,” SF 75 sponsor state Sen. David Osmek says.
State Rep. Frank Hornstein points to Georgia and other states with strong distracted driving laws as proof that a handheld cell phone ban can be effective. “The data from those states is very clear,” he told reporters Jan. 14. “This works, this saves lives.”
HF 50 co-sponsor state Rep. Peggy Bennett says, “There’s not a Minnesotan around who hasn’t been touched in their home or their hearts by a texting while driving car crash. … Hands-free cellphone use is simply the right thing to do.”
2018 distracted driving notes:
Outgoing state Attorney General Lori Swanson also seeks to link DUI and E-DUI penalties. She is pushing several distracted driving measures in an effort to crack down on the problem. “We need to change the culture around distracted driving and make it not be OK for people to do this,” Swanson said in late October. She proposes a hands-free law, tougher texting penalties and license suspensions for serial offenders. She notes more than 50 deaths in Minnesota each year linked to distracted driving. (Swanson did not seek re-election in 2018.)
State Rep. Mark Uglem’s proposed handheld cell phone ban is dead for the year. He was “astounded” his measure did not advance to a vote before the full House. Uglem, who blamed Republican leadership for his bill’s demise, calls the case against distracted driving “indisputable.” State Sen. Jim Carlson had the companion bill and plans to refile for 2019.
Lawmakers inserted the House cell phone plan into a general spending bill an increase in fines for serial offenses of texting & driving. The spending bill was killed via veto.
State Rep. Jenifer Loon backed the unsuccessful handheld cell phone measure. She cited fellow lawmakers’ concerns over “clarity in enforcement,” and predicted the bill would return next session.
Families of people killed in distracted driving crashes pressed the Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee to pass House File 1180 on March 13. They were joined by supporters from the State Patrol, the Department of Public Safety, the Minnesota Safety Council and the Insurance Federation of Minnesota.
Law enforcement officers handed out 7,357 tickets for distracted driving in 2017, an increase of 23 percent from the year before, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety. Distracted driving was linked to an average of 59 deaths and 223 serious injuries annually from 2012-2016.
2017-2018 distracted driving legislation:
Spending/policy bill: Includes a compromise distracted driving element. Fines for serial offenses of texting & driving would increase — from $150 to $300 for second offenders and to $500 for third offenders with mandatory court appearance. Bill vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton.
House File 1180: Would bar use of handheld wireless communications devices while driving. Fine: $50 (first offense) then $225 plus fees. Approved by the Transportation Committee on March 3. Approved by the Public Safety Committee in a unanimous vote of March 13. Approved by the Ways and Means Committee on May 10. Dead. (Uglem)
HF 2155: Would increase texting & driving fines to $125/$300. (Lien)
HF 340: Would rewrite current texting law to outlaw use of handheld wireless communications devices while driving. Fine: $50 but for repeated offenses $225 plus fees. Would take effect Aug. 1. Dead. (Slocum)
Senate File 837: Would outlaw use of handheld wireless communications devices while driving. Approved by the Judiciary Committee on March 29. Approved by the Transportation Committee on April 16. Dead. (Carlson)
2017 distracted driving notes:
Teen driver deaths in Minnesota are at a historic low, a newspaper analysis shows. Drivers aged 15 to 19 years old recorded 23 deaths in 2016, down from 102 in 2003. But distracted driving may be trending up: Drivers under age 21 received 590 tickets for texting & driving in 2016, compared with 162 in 2011, the Star Tribune reported.
Almost 8 in 10 Minnesotans say electronic distracted driving should be treated equally with drunken driving, according to a state poll. About the same percentage of state voters, 79 percent, said handheld cell phone use should be illegal. Nine in 10 of those polled said they were not guilty of handheld cell phone use while driving, according to the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll. The poll of 800 registered voters was conducted between April 24 and 26, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
“It’s simple: Two hands on the wheel are better than one or none,” Rep. Mark Uglem told lawmakers on the House Transportation Committee before they approved his HF 1180. Col. Matt Langer, head of the Minnesota State Patrol, also voiced his support for the distracted driving legislation.
2016 distracted driving notes:
The younger the driver, the more likely he or she is to be involved in a crash, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Numbers for 2015 show drivers between the ages of 15 and 24 with the highest percentage of multiple-vehicle crashes blamed on distraction (25 percent). Drivers aged 25 through 34 weren’t much better (23 percent). And the 35-64 age group was right behind (22 percent). For all drivers, the percentage was 22.7 of all crashes. Read the DPS report.
A schoolteacher received four days in jail for killing a senior citizen in New Prague, Minn. The woman, who apparently was texting & driving, hit and killed 79-year-old Joseph Tikalsky in October 2015 and was sentenced a year later. Susan Russo also received two years’ probation, community service and a fine to pay for a distracted driving PSA.
Distracted drivers were to blame for just over 20 percent of crashes resulting in injury or property damage, DPS said.
The Department of Public Safety linked distracted/inattentive driving to 74 traffic fatalities in 2015. That’s a 21 percent increase over the previous year, DPS said in a report issued in late June 2016. Overall, 411 people died on Minnesota roads and highways — a five-year high. Distracted driving is a factor in one out of four vehicle crashes in Minnesota, the department has estimated. Drunken driving remains the No. 1 killer on Minnesota roads and highways.
2015-2016 distracted driving legislation:
SF 1647: Establishes supplementary fine of $225 for second and subsequent violations of state texting & driving law. Also contains restrictions on digital advertising displays. Omnibus transportation bill. Approved by Senate in a 42-20 vote of April 27. Approved by House and Senate after conference committee on May 18. Signed into law by the governor May 22. Effective Aug. 1, 2015.
House File 1596: Would add another $50 fine to existing fine for serial offenders of texing & driving law. (Hornstein)
HF 1683: Would bar cell phone use by drivers under the age of 18. (Bernardy)
2015 distracted driving notes:
As of November, 3,467 drivers were stopped for texting & driving in 2015, state officials say.
The state Department of Public Safety rolled out five unmarked vehicles tasked with busting distracted drivers. The squad cars will be dispatched in Brainerd, Mankato, Marshall and the Twin Cities. “Distracted driving, primarily texting while driving, is something the public is harping on us about,” Patrol Chief Col. Matt Langer said. The Nov. 9 unveiling for the press was titled “The Minnesota State Patrol Stands with Frustrated Motorists Regarding Distracted Driving.”
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says 20 percent of vehicle crashes involving pedestrians can be blamed on driver distractions. At the end of 2015, 40 pedestrian deaths had been reported for the year. “Hundreds more” are showing up in emergency rooms.
Driver inattention and distraction are among the top contributing factors to traffic fatalities in Minnesota, state officials say. 61 deaths and more than 7,000 injuries were linked to inattention in 2014. In multiple-vehicle crashes, distraction was highest in the 35-64 age group, followed by young adults. Overall, 20 percent of crashes were laid to inattention/distraction.
The successful plan for additional $225 fines for repeat electronic distracted drivers was part of the omnibus Public Safety Finance bill, which cleared the Legislature in May. State Rep. Joe Atkins pushed for tougher penalties — up to $500 for a third conviction — but was rebuffed. Atkins also pushed for tougher distracted driving penalties in the previous session.
The Office of Traffic Safety says an increase in distracted driving fines will help the state qualify for federal grant money to educate motorists about the problem. Gov. Mark Dayton agreed, listing it in his recommendations for Minnesota’s two-year budget. “Enhanced penalties for second and subsequent citations should reduce the number of drivers texting and accessing the Internet via their smartphone, thus resulting in fewer fatal and serious injury crashes,” the governor’s proposal said. The Department of Public Safety had sought to double the fine for serial offenders of the state’s distracted driving law.
State Rep. Connie Bernardy proposed a ban on cell phone use by all drivers under the age of 18, but the plan gained no traction during the 2015 session.
2014 distracted driving notes:
No distracted driving legislation found success between 2010 and 2014. State Rep. Frank Hornstein, who heads the House Transportation Committee, says, “The prospects of getting a cell phone ban are not great.” His plan to ban mobile phone use in construction zones failed to gain any traction in 2014.
A pair of bills for 2013-2014 sought to punish those who cause deaths or serious bodily harm while driving distracted, but neither advanced before the session ended. Senate Bill 206 and House Bill 277 were broad bills that also cite aggressive, careless and reckless driving. Text messaging and talking on handheld cell phones were singled out. Fines up to $20,000 and 10 years in prison for multiple offenders.
The Department of Public Safety estimates the toll from distracted driving is about 70 deaths and 350 serious injuries a year, officials say. In 2013, there were 63 deaths and 8,038 injuries caused by inattentive drivers in Minnesota. Law officers wrote 1,739 tickets for texting in 2013.
A Rock County truck driver has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide in the July death of a woman who was biking with her daughters. The driver, Christopher M. Weber, told police he was attempting to do online banking while driving, according to the Star Tribune.
The Department of Public Safety says the April 2014 distracted driving sweep shows more enforcement is needed for texting & driving offenses: “The number of citations made in just those 10 days (550) shows that far too many drivers still make poor choices behind the wheel,” said Department of Public Safety director Donna Berger. “Drivers can and will be ticketed at any time for texting while driving, not just during an enhanced enforcement campaign.” The Distracted Driving Awareness crackdown also resulted in almost 1,400 seat-belt violations.
Inattention was the contributing factor in 17,598 crashes in 2013, the Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety reported. That’s 23 percent of all crashes.
Minnesota texting & driving tickets have increased in number every year since enactment of the law (source: OTS):
- 2013 – 2,189
- 2012 – 1,718
- 2011 – 1,270
- 2010 – 847
- 2009 – 388
2013-14 distracted driving legislation:
Senate Bill 206: Seeks to punish drivers for inattentive operation of vehicles resulting in a death or serious injury. Cites handheld cellphone use and text messaging. Fine of up to $3,000, suspension of license and a possible one-year imprisonment. For second offenses, fine of up to $20,000 and possible 10-year imprisonment. Offense is a gross misdemeanor. Includes aggressive, careless and reckless driving such as street racing. Failed to advance. (Carlson)
House Bill 277: Seeks separate penalties for aggressive, inattentive, reckless or careless driving resulting in death or serious bodily harm. Cites texting and handheld cell phone use as inattentive driving. Companion to SB 206, above. Failed to advance. (Atkins)
HB 1949: Would bar cell phone use in construction zones. Failed to advance. (Sawatzky)
2013 distracted driving notes:
State Sen. Jim Carlson says Minnesota doesn’t have “a serious enough charge” for drivers who kill or maim while driving distracted and irresponsibly. His SB 206 would give prosecutors the ability to press gross misdemeanor charges with punishments significantly tougher than those possible under current misdemeanors. Carlson, DFL-District 51, is newly elected but previously served in the state Senate. Rep. Joe Atkins is the House sponsor (HB 277)
At least 378 people died on Minnesota’s roads and highways in 2012, officials say. Distracted driving was “primary contributing factor,” the Department of Public Safety reported in its preliminary fatality report of Jan. 3, 2012. Drunken driving remains the biggest killer.
The traffic fatality count for 2012 will near 400 once all crash reports are in, officials say. The death count was the first increase in Minnesota in five years. In 2011, 368 people died in traffic incidents.
2011-12 distracted driving legislation:
Senate Bill 18: Would ban use of cell phones by all drivers on Minnesota roads and highways. No exception for hands-free operation. (Wigel)
House Bill 85: Mandates a one-year license suspension for drivers who cause a death by operating a vehicle “carelessly or heedlessly in disregard of the rights or safety of others.” (Murrow)
HB 68: Adds “careless driving resulting in death” section to statutes as a gross midemeanor. Approved by the House Public Safety committee on Jan. 31. (Garofalo)
Distracted driving notes (2011-2012):
The wife of ex-Minnesota Viking tight end Joe Senser hit and killed a man while on a cell phone, prosecutors say. Amy Senser then allegedly fled the scene. She was sentenced to 41 months on vehicular homicide charges in July 2012.
The Department of Public Safety says distracted driving accidents are “vastly underreported due to law enforcement’s challenge in determining distraction as a crash factor.” In 2011, about 350 people died in vehicle accidents overall. In 2010, there were 411 traffic deaths.
2010 distracted driving notes:
State Rep. Frank Hornstein, D-Minneapolis, says a bill is being crafted for 2011 that would toughen the state’s distracted driving law. Minnesota was the third state to approve a ban on text messaging and driving. That law went into effect Aug. 1, 2008. A violation is a petty misdemeanor.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota spoke at the Second Distracted Driving Summit in September, noting “no text message is worth dying for.” Klobuchar is a cosponsor of the Distracted Driving Prevention Act and supports the ALERT Drivers Act, both of which push states to adopt traffic laws against text messaging and handheld cell phone use.
A new state group called Pay Attention and Drive is collecting stories from survivors of distracted driving accidents.
Between 2006 and 2008, there were 60,000 accidents in Minnesota blamed on distracted driving. About 200 lives were lost. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says distracted driving kills 70 people a year and injures another 350. Distracted driving contributes to one in four accidents statewide, resulting in about 70 deaths a year, the department reports.
The Department of Public Safety reported that 930 citations have been written statewide since the August 2008 enactment of the Minnesota text messaging and driving ban (period ending July 2010). In 2009, only 390 tickets were handed out.
Minnesota police conducted a statewide distracted driving crackdown for the second anniversary of the texting and driving ban’s enactment on Aug. 5, 2010. In September, Ramsey County (St. Paul) conducted a text messaging sweep.
The House and Senate transportation committees on March 3 held a joint hearing on cell phone use by drivers. Dave Teater of the National Safety Council and the activist group Focus Driven told how his son was killed by a driver chatting on a mobile phone. Opposing a ban on handheld cell phone use by adults were Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The Verizon spokesman suggested that drivers “if possible suspend the call in heavy traffic.”
Rep. Sandra Masin, D-Eagan, is the chief author of HB 2351.
Mike Jaros, D-Deluth, has sought a complete ban on drivers using cell phones. His stepson was in a vehicle that was rammed by a cell-phoning driver, but survived.
Katherine Burke Moore, deputy director of the Office of Traffic Safety, told the Star Tribune: “We forget that driving is already a multi-tasking activity. Even when we do it every day, we’re checking mirrors, scanning around the car, and watching for brake lights. Any other distraction is unsafe.”
The Department of Public Safety and AAA (Minnesota/Iowa) ran a competition in which teenagers made television PSAs that educate viewers about the dangers of texting while driving. The winning entry was titled “Moms, Alcohol and Texting.”
2010 legislation (dead):
HB 2351: Would prohibit the use of cell phones while driving unless a hands-free accessory is utilized. Specifies without the use of either hand. (Masin)
HB 1339: Would outlaw use of handheld cell phones by drivers. School bus drivers and those with instruction permits not allowed to use cell phones at all. Companion to SB 593, below. (Ruud)
SB 593: Seeks to outlaw use of cell phones by drivers, unless a hands-free device is employed. Bans all cell phone use by drivers with instruction permits. Would outlaw use of cell phones by school bus drivers. Companion to HB 1339, above. Approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on March 11 and advanced to a second reading.(Bonoff)
This is a good website, but you are missing the 2012 legislation 169.13 which does prohibit reckless or careless driving and provides for some measure of enforcement that would include talking on a phone, eating a cheeseburger, messing with music, fighting with kids, etc.
I agree with Susan and i am sorry for your loss. There are so many distractions on the road as it is and as a motorcyclist it is hard to be seen at all. But when someone is on there cell phone that makes it a totally different story. My best friend was on his motorcycle riding on his way back from normandale when a man driving a new chrysler decided to move over and not look — this man was on his cell phone. My friend had to lock the breaks up and crashing into the back of that mans car. He was thrown 30 feet. He was fine but if that man had not been on that phone this would not have happened.
Everyone drives and talks on their phone, texts, or is checking their email. For most there is not enough time in the day. I am guilty of doing this until 3 weeks ago when my mother-in-law was killed by someone who was talking on their cell phone in foggy weather. Just 4 months from retirement. My kids will not have their grandma anymore and my husband will miss his best friend everyday. The sadness and anger I feel cannot be described. Stricter laws definitely need to passed so tragedies don’t happen like this again.
I pick up my husband from work every day with my two kids in tow. Where I come in, I do not have a stop sign, every one else does. Those coming from the opposite direction, don’t stop. I have had many a scary moment where I thought I was about to get hit, and EVERY SINGLE TIME that has happened, the other driver has had their hand to a cell phone pressed to their ears. I do not agree with a full on BAN, because sometimes you need to talk on the phone while you’re driving, for directions or just because you’re alone and will be in the car a long time and need a friendly voice to help you focus. Definitely hands free devices should be okay. Blue tooth or into the cars system itself. Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s hands free, because it’s no different than having someone sitting in the car talking with you. It’s not the conversation that is distracting, but the fact you’ve got your hand blocking your peripheral as well as OFF THE WHEEL.
I feel that talking on a Hands Free system installed directly into my car and/or a bluetooth type system is perfectly safe. It is NO different than talking to a person sitting inside of your car. Or, are they going to make driving with passengers illegal? Seriously, phone companies and automobile makers have adopted options for drivers to be hands free. I will be Pissed off if I cannot use my Hands Free system that was Installed in my vehicle by the manufacturer.
Quit Blaming Technology for peoples Faulty driving. Before the state worries about the ones on the phone, they should look into how DUMB people are who are passing the states required (EASY) Behind The Wheel courses! Might just rule out some of those talkers and texters who can’t drive for S#$% to begin with!
The dept of public safety didn’t care about distractions when the interlocking device was passed, I’ve seen people blowing in that device and are taking there eyes of the road. The dept of public safety is all about money nothing else. They can’t take away one distraction then add another.
Anyone who says they can carry on a cell phone conversation while driving a motor vehicle and not be distracted is being dishonest with themselves.
I think this law is just another infringement on our rights of freedom. If someone takes the risk of talking on the cell phone and gets into an accident and injury’s someone than they should pay. This is just another example of government taking something that some people can not and should not do and wrecking it for others that are able to talk and drive at the same time or do pull over and talk on the cell phone. I have had people do stupid things in front of me on the highway and some where on the cell phone and some where just driving along. Lets face the simple truth, there are people out there that should have never been allowed to drive. That is why government set up drivers testing stations, so that only qualified and safe drivers where on the road. WOW obviously that worked well. This is just one more way for them to control our daily lives and make money, as if taking the crap out of us isn’t enough.
Our elected officials propose and pass laws that continue to infringe upon our freedoms. Constitutional rights are being tossed aside at an exponential rate in America. We will soon get to a place where the only right we have is the right to remain silent and the only freedom we have is to go to work and have the government redistribute our earnings to ensure the continued growth of Government. You can’t legislate and it is not the job of government to attempt to legislate “common sense”.
Interestingly enough, I got ticketed for using my cell phone while driving. I pulled over onto a McDonalds parking lot and excercised my right to remain silent while the trooper began to write my ticket. A woman nicely dressed but wearing a very short skirt walked across the parking lot towards her car when I heard a crash. Two drivers , having been distracted by this attractive woman in her skirt and heels had hit each other head on. Obviously in a bit of a hurry to get out of the parking lot now congested by the trooper issuing my ticket and the two car accident the woman was a bit fast heading off the lot and onto the street. At the end of the driveway as she attempted to apply her brakes the 4 inch heel of her shoe snagged the carpet of her car and she was t-boned by a driver who didn’t see her. It was reported that the other driver was not on a cell phone but had one hand on a double cheesburger purchased at the Burger King only a block away.
Although no one had been seriously injured I could hear the siren of the Ambulance racing towards the McDonalds lot which by now began to look more like a demolition derby. Well sure enough, as the ambulance approached the lot another vehicle with a bitchin sound system entered the intersection under a full green light. Unfortunately, not being able to hear the siren of the ambulance the four young men in the vehicle with the bitchin sound system were plowed over by the ambulance. Having completed my ticket the officer handed it to me for my signature. I signed it as the officer told me to remember that cell phone use while driving was dangerous.
A careless driver is a careless driver whether on cell phone or not. The should also ban tight pants because people who wear tight pants may not be able to move their legs free on pedals. I think, this law will not stop accidents. Before the existence of cell phone, there were accidents. I think this is not freedom…it is living in chains. People in third world countries have more freedom than us. We only make noise about freedom while people in Africa and Asia enjoy the damn freedom.
Please make a distinction between hands-free devices that are built into the vehicle and accessories that are slapped onto a phone in order to call it hands-free. In my car I press a single large button to place or receive a call that is no less of a distraction than pressing a radio station preset button. My eyes are still down the road and hands are at ten and two. Cell phone accessories may still require the user to fiddle with the phone to some degree and are loosely placed in the vehicle and not installed in a stationary location. Devices built into the vehicle, such as in NAV systems or bluetooth integration, do not deserve to be banned.
To me if anyone uses there phone should get a $ 4,000.00 fine… People old or young can not drive and talk on the phone. I have been cut off so many times or a driver is all over the road, I have had people drive right straight to me and I am the one who has to get out of there way, I have seen people not stop at stop signs or lights, I have seen people go through the flashing lights on a school BUS. so I say NO ONE BUT NO ONE should be on the phone.. If I can pull to the side to use my cellphone so should everyone else. If anyone has a accident because of the cell phone they should have to pay a LARGE fine and insurance should go up big time!!!!! I know I am sick of these bad drivers and there phones!!!!!
I’ve been writing a paper in my College Writing class about Distracted Driving. I think it’s a HUGE topic that people should think about EVERY time they go onto the road. Many things bother me about texting and driving, but the same goes out to underage people talking on the phone. No matter who you are, you think you’re “good” at doing it. It’s not the idea that you are gonna kill or hurt someone, but also the idea that someone else could swerve over into you while you’re distracted. Everyone should put there own little rules out to kids about distarcted driving. Maybe it will save a life or 2.
Just the other day, I had to make a superhuman maneuver to avoid a young gal that was tooling along at about 72 mph and had her gaze glued on her cell phone. She was paying ZERO attention to road and just wandered into my lane and gave me the “squeeze play” and I had to avoid not only her, but the car that was already in the lane that she shoved me into.
My million dollar idea is some sort of “jamming mechanism” that does not allow a cell phone to work from the driver’s location. Just some sort of electronic signal that creates a “no cell phone zone” within the car itself!
I am not a techie, so I don’t know what this would involve, but, if the jammer made it so a cell phone doesn’t even work from the driver’s side, people would cease driving and texting.
Best bill ever! Our youth director just put the church van into the ditch near Tettegouch State Park with 8 kids in it because she was texting!!! Livid does not even come close to how I feel right now. What could possibly be more important than the lives of our kids?
What a nightmare. A few states have strict laws that make anyone transporting people (bus, van, rail) think twice about texting. Thanks for checking in, Keldi.
Absolutely moronic! People are often most productive in their car, using their cell phone. What’s next? Are they going to outlaw eating, drinking, and speaking to another vehicle occupant? How about kids? Kids are probably the biggest distraction possible for a driver. How about we mandate muzzles and hand and foot restraints for children riding in a vehicle? The stupidity of that last proposal pales in comparison to the stupidity of banning cell phone use for those millions of individuals who talk and drive responsibly every day.