Michigan Police Use New Program To Crack Down On Distracted Driving

Operating a vehicle is one of the most dangerous things that someone does daily, which means the laws surrounding driving are taken very seriously. Vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death for Americans and lawmakers are continuing to make changes to try and see some decline in those percentages. We spend a lot of time in our vehicles traveling from place to place and officials just want everyone to be safe.

in 2023 Michigan Senate was able to get a bill onto the desk of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in which she signed, making the use of cell phones while driving illegal. Cell phone usage while operating a vehicle has been limited to mounted phones or connected devices that can be used with just a touch, anything more is illegal. This has helped but not quite as effective as they thought it would be, so they are starting a new program to enforce the rules.

Law enforcement agencies at the state, county, and local levels will be starting a new operation to crack down on distracted drivers, more specifically, those on mobile devices. Operation Ghost Rider is starting Monday, April 29th as lawmakers and public safety look to reduce distracted driving deaths and injuries. The operation uses unmarked spotter vehicles looking for distracted drivers. Once they do that will radio a fully marked law enforcement unit to initiate a traffic stop.

Violating the law the first time can result in a $100 fine and/or 16 hours of community service while a second violation comes with a $250 fine and/or 24 hours of community service. A third violation within 3 years will require completion of a driving-improvement course. In addition, fines are doubled if a traffic crash occurs, and the at-fault driver was holding or manually using a mobile device while operating the vehicle.

Here are 14 other violations that can be considered distracted driving: