“Hands-Free” behind the wheel soon to become law.
Most people have been behind the wheel of their car when the cell phone rings or they hear the text message beep. We’re so ingrained to answer the phone or check the text message that we may not realize just how dangerous it would be to do those things while driving. Because of the dangers posed by distracted driving, Minnesota joined 17 other states, plus Washington D.C., in passing a hands-free law that goes into effect August 1. But what exactly can, and can’t drivers do?
What Can I do?
“To break it down in the simplest terms, you cannot have a phone in your hand at all while driving,” says Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge. “As of August 1, you can’t even have a cell phone in your hand and hold it up to your ear to make a phone call. Of course, text messages aren’t going to be legal as well.”
It won’t be legal to pull out the cell phone even if drivers are stopped at a stop light or stop sign. “Technically, you’re still driving,” DeGeorge said. “As of August 1, if you’re going to make a phone call in the car, drivers will need some sort of built-in device that will help you make that call hands-free. For example, a Bluetooth-enabled audio system would be legal. Most newer cars these days have something like that built in”
What about GPS?
The next logical question is what about the GPS systems that most drivers can’t live without in an unfamiliar part of the state? DeGeorge says you can still use your GPS system to get where you’re going, as long as it’s hands-free.
“If you’re going to a place like Target Field but haven’t been there before,” DeGeorge said, “it’s okay to punch in the directions before you put the vehicle in motion. You can listen to the turn-by-turn directions while you’re driving, as long as you aren’t using it in any way with your hands while you’re driving.”
Rushford Police Officer Kaylee Inglett said the key to being legal is not having it in your hand for any reason while you’re driving. “We can definitely see other drivers who have their phones in hand and up to their ears just driving down the road,” she said. “it’s not too hard to spot someone talking on their phone while driving. Sometimes we see distracted driving just by how their moving down the road, too. It’s a lot of the same signs as impaired driving.”
Distracted Driving Dangers
DeGeorge said the average citizen may not realize it, but their car can instantly become a several-thousand-pound missile moving down the road at a high rate of speed when the driver isn’t focused on the road. Impaired driving affects judgement and slows a driver’s reaction time. Distracted driving does some of the same things.
“It takes your attention away from the road and the other vehicles,” DeGeorge said. “It slows your reaction time. How much ground can someone cover while they’re typing out a text message behind the wheel and going 55-60 miles per hour. You aren’t going to stop on a dime. If you look up and find yourself weaving out of your line and another car is coming at you, it might be the same thing as pointing a weapon at them. That’s basically what’s happening in that situation.”
Distracted driving is a problem in southeast Minnesota, and it has cost lives. DeGeorge says he has seen a fatal accident firsthand and it’s something you don’t forget, both as a law enforcement officer and a human being. “For me, it was an instant feeling of regret for what happened,” he recalled upon seeing the aftereffects of a fatality.
“When you think that just minutes earlier, this person was safely driving down the road and a split-second decision to do something like read or send a text message resulted in someone innocent being killed,” he added. “It wasn’t something like a crime of passion. Someone didn’t spend all day drinking at a bar and get behind the wheel. It was someone that could have been on their way home, to church, or to a kid’s school event. It didn’t have to happen.”
He added, “It’s not a malicious act. It’s someone doing something as simple as not paying attention and wound up having the most tragic results possible.
Here’s a great report from WKBT TV in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with comments from the La Crescent Police Chief Doug Stavenau
Penalties
Inglett says there will be an escalating series of fines starting on August 1. “The first ticket is $50 dollars, which will include going to court, which will include court fees,” she said. “The next ticket will jump to $275, as are any subsequent tickets. Remember, there are also court fees with each ticket.
“It was so important to law enforcement officers around the state to get this law passed,” she said. “We see so many distracted drivers every day. The numbers are there when we talk about distracted driving. Not looking at the road and not paying attention to your surroundings when you’re driving a huge metal object can be just as detrimental and deadly as impaired driving.”
Inglett says she’s a young police officer who hasn’t had to respond to a tragic accident from distracted driving yet. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t seen and spoken to people who’ve been involved in that type of accident.
“During my training at the police academy, we heard a talk from someone that had killed another driver while they were distracted,” she recalled. “The lasting impact those words had on our class was incredible. We were able to see crime scene photos from the case, so even though we weren’t there firsthand, we saw what the worst results could look like.
“The pictures of the victim and the vehicles were heartbreaking,” she added. “A simple decision like picking up someone’s phone took somebody else’s life.”
This makes me very angry. Evidently, the anti-veteran sentiment is alive and well in rural Fillmore County of Southeast Minnesota. Seriously… you spray-painted graffiti ON a horse? A living thing? And not only was this moron evidently anti-veteran, he (or she) was also anti-women. Dear God, what are we coming to?