LANSING – It has been a year since Michigan implemented the hands-free law, which prohibits drivers from using devices behind the wheel. Now there is clear data that shows that the law is in fact making it safer for drivers on the roads.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, there has been 3,815 fewer crashes and 17 fewer deaths since the law was implemented. On average, the state saw a reduction of 12% in distracted drivers. That equates to $151 million in economic damage that didn’t occur.
The data informing the department comes from drivers who agreed to have their phone usage tracked by the firm Cambridge Mobile Telematics. It’s used to help better understand driver behavior and track how rates of distracted driving change before and after laws like Michigan’s hands-free rule go into place.
Michigan’s new law, which went into effect on June 30, 2023 was different from other states because it didn’t come with a grace period. Some officers may still hand out warnings instead of tickets for violations of the rule, but enforcement officially began as soon as the law went into effect.
It represented a pretty big shift for drivers but also would be much easier to crack down on cell phone usage while behind the wheel.
The first month after the law went into effect, Cambridge Mobile Telematics saw a 13.5% drop in distracted driving – a step in the right direction, it’s senior vice president of strategy & corporate development said. But the progress didn’t last and over the next six months, rates of distracted driving started to climb back up.
The turning point came in the seventh month when a steep drop in distracted driving took place. Now, almost a year later, incidents are down 19% compared to before the law went into effect. It’s not immediately clear why such a steep drop-off took place.
The firm attributes the steep drop off to gradual behavioral changes amongst drivers. Consistently educating and creating awareness around the updated law has led to more vigilance.
Below is data provided by Cambridge Mobile Telematics that shows the impact of the hands-free law. The figures reveal less phone usage while in the car after the law went into effect, compared to before.
Before the law:
- Average trips per day: 4.7
- Minutes per trip: 20
- Minutes driving per day: 95
- Hours spent driving per day: 1.58
- Phone motion seconds per hour: 108
- Phone motion seconds per day: 171
- Phone motion time per day: 2:51
After the law
- Average trips per day: 4.7
- Minutes per trip: 20
- Minutes driving per day: 95
- Hours spent driving per day: 1.58
- Phone motion seconds per hour: 95
- Phone motion seconds per day: 151
- Phone motion time per day: 2:30
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