Eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel: no texting allowed

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

At the beginning of this month a new law in Michigan has taken away one of the many distractions drivers face. Using a cell phone to send a text message is now grounds to be pulled over and face a fine. As of July 1 text messaging while driving has become against the law in the state of Michigan. Michigan House Bill 4394, which is packaged with Senate Bill 468 and House Bill 4370, was signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on April 30 and took effect last week.

?A person shall not read, manually type or sent a text message on a wireless two-way communication device that is located in the persons hand or in the persons lap, including a wireless telephone used in cellular telephone service or personal communication service, while operating a motor vehicle that is moving on a highway or street in the state,? states House Bill 4394. The new law does not include global positioning or navigation systems (GPS) that are affixed to the motor vehicle.

A person caught texting while driving will be subject to a $100 civil infraction fine, and if they are a repeat offender a $200 fine. ?I am all for the law. Texting while driving is a huge distraction to drivers and it puts everyone?s safety in jeopardy. If our department catches you, you can expect a ticket,? said Rogers City Police chief Matt Quaine. Although the law doesn?t include GPS devices Presque Isle County sheriff Bob Paschke believes that leaves a fine line and some grey area as he sees typing in an address the same as texting and believes it would be up to a judge to decide on that one. ?It?s going to be a good law, I think it is. It?s something that needed to be dealt with. You look at the younger generation today and they?re more knowledgeable about technology and that is all they do, they are texting all the time and it carries over to driving. If its me texting I have to pay a lot of attention to that text, some of them well maybe it?s a little easier but you?re still driving a two-ton vehicle with a lot of other things out there. It is just another tool for us to use and hopefully it helps. A lot of accidents are occurring because people aren?t paying attention to what they are supposed to be doing which is driving,? said Paschke.

The office of highway safety planning in Michigan has launched a ?Thumbs on the Wheel? campaign, which will feature billboards, public servi

ce announcements and posters to remind drivers of the new law. ?The state?s ban on texting while driving recognizes the potential danger when drivers are not fully focused on the road. As with all traffic laws, law enforcement officers will take appropriate action when witnessing violations,? said Eddie L. Washington, Jr., director of the Michigan State Police. Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-Flint Township), Rep. Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn) and Sen. Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Township) sponsored the new legislation. ?We just nabbed the number one culprit of distracted driving, which is texting while driving,? said Gonzales.

There are exceptions to the law as it will remain legal to use a text message to report a traffic accident, medical emergency or serious road hazard, report a situation in which the person believes his or her personal safety is in jeopardy, report or avert the perpetration or potential perpetration of a criminal act against the individual or another person or carry out the official duties as a police officer, law enforcement official, member of a paid or volunteer fire department or operator of an emergency vehicle. Michigan is the 24th state to ban drivers from texting while driving a motor vehicle. Although Michigan crash data does not differentiate whether a driver was texting or talking at the time of a crash 947 people in 2009 were using a cell phone at the time of a crash. Although drivers will face a $100 first offense fine and $200 fines for each subsequent offense no points will be added to their license and the information will not be entered into the driver?s master driving record.

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