Following the rollout of 2023’s new hands free laws, authorities saw 305 fewer distracted-driver crashes, according to state data.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Since Michigan instated the Hands-Free driving law in June of 2023, there have been less incidents of distracted-driver crashes, according to data from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. One year later, authorities say while trends may have been positive, more must be done.
Michigan’s Hands-Free distracted driving laws, mandating that a driver can not hold a communication device, went into effect on June 30, 2023. According to Michigan State Police, along with the the law’s rollout, 2023 saw 15,136 crashes across the state involving a distracted driver. In 2022, the state saw 15,501 wrecks- a difference of 305 crashes from year to year.
“Overall crash numbers have decreased from 22 to 23 by 2% in crashes and then another 2% in fatalities,” Michigan State Police public information officer Lt. Michelle Robinson said. “The only downfall of those …