KENT COUNTY, Mich. — It has been over six months since the hands-free driving law went into effect in our state, but have those enforcing it seen a difference?
What about pedestrians and other drivers?
Michigan State Police says so far, the law isn't necessarily making all drivers practice safer habits behind the wheel.
Statewide, there were nearly 900 citations issued in the first six months of the hands-free driving law going into effect, but Michigan State Police says that only shows part of the picture.
A large part of their enforcement the last six months was focused on education, giving verbal warnings to drivers with a phone in their hand behind the wheel.
"This is a law, and we can’t have you being distracted because it causes a lot of dangerous situations," said Michigan State Police's Sixth District Public Information Officer Special Lieutenant Michelle Robinson.
Michigan became hands-free on June 30, 2023, making it a primary offense to use or even hold a mobile electronic device while behind the wheel.
"Despite the efforts that we are putting into the educational part of it as well as the enforcement of the hands free law, we are still seeing that individuals are not abiding by the laws and they’re still driving distracted," said Spl. Lt. Robinson.
Michigan State Police said it many cases it may have gotten worse as people try to hide the fact they're still using their phone, and pedestrians as well as other drivers are seeing that too.
"They’ve got the vent clips and the mounts that it makes it easier for people to text from their dashboards, so it makes it look like they’re not actually texting and have it in their hands," said Kalamazoo resident Garrett Yorton.
"I walk to work everyday, and I just work four blocks from home, and I see a lot of people texting," said another Kalamazoo resident Jim Escamilla.
Some people tell FOX 17, they haven't been able to tell a difference since the law went into effect.
"You know, you just have to keep your head on a swivel is what you need to do," said Escamilla.
With 887 citations issued statewide and around the same amount of verbal warnings in the first six months, Michigan State Police hopes to crackdown even more in the next six.
Specifically in MSP's Sixth District including Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia and Oceana counties, there were 155 citations given and over 114 verbal warnings.
23 of the 155 citations issued in the county involved a crash.
"We can’t be on every road 24/7 as much as we would like to. That is why the campaign of education continues to go out, be it on billboards, be it commercials and then just talking to the public during regular patrol," said Michigan State Police's Fifth District Public Information Officer Lieutenant DuWayne Robinson.
As the knowledge of the law becomes more widespread, MSP said more citations will be given instead of warnings.
"Don’t trust your abilities. We all think we are super drivers and that we can multitask in every other area of our lives, but multitasking driving a car or semi down the road is just playing Russian Roulette," said Lt. Robinson.
"Hoping that throughout the next six months, we will start to see people abiding by that rule, and they’re focused more on their driving abilities," said Spl. Lt. Robinson.
Michigan State Police reminds drivers penalties include:
- $100 for the first offense;
- $250 for the second offense;
- a court-ordered driver improvement course for the third offense.
