Legislation approved by the Michigan House this week to reduce distracted driving has the backing of AAA of Michigan. Spokesperson Adrienne Woodland tells WSJM News the plan bans using handheld mobile devices while behind the wheel. She says this gets the state law more up to date with the technology.
“Michigan’s current distracted driving law only addresses texting while driving,” Woodland said. “It does not prohibit the other ways individuals interact with their cell phones, such as with mobile apps, social media, and even video streaming, and this lack of clarity and reference to out of date cell phone technology is one of the things that prompted lawmakers to introduce this package of bills.”
Woodland says National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows distracted driving crashes killed 3,142 people in the United States, an average of 9 deaths per day, in 2019. That number was up 10% from the year before. In Michigan alone, there were 64 fatal crashes involving a distracted driver, resulting in 71 fatalities in 2019. The legislation now heads to the state Senate.
