As they say, it’s not such much as having laws as enforcing laws.
Some background info before we begin:
- Families of distracted driving victims celebrate new law
- Michigan’s “hands-free” law starting June 30
Since the law was enacted [June 30, 2023], the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety says a majority of drivers are not abiding.
Ryan Roddie, a Traffic Public Safety Officer, told News Channel 3 he catches drivers on a daily basis with phones in their hands. […] Police bust over half a dozen drivers not abiding by hands free every ten minutes, according to Roddie.
And now, an encapsulation of the lameness you are all guilty of…
The hardest part of the law for Denise Clegg, a Kalamazoo resident, is not changing her navigation while on the road. […] “I was coming down the street on Michigan Avenue, and I needed to call the beauty shop and tell them I was going to be a little late [emphasis mine – r2] looking for a parking spot. Well, when I went to Siri to call them, she gave me everyone but," Clegg said.
From Forbes magazine, the same that awarded Detroit, Michigan the № 3 spot for overall worst drivers in the US, some interesting statistics and information regarding distracted driving. The up(ish) side: according to Forbes, Michigan ranks № 39 in the nation.
This is why we need to start handling this stuff systemically. Mechanically limit maximum vehicle speed in cars the same way they do in ebikes. Phones lock when cell towers sense them going over X mph. Narrow roads and raise crosswalks.
No, you don’t have the ‘freedom’ to drive however you want, wherever you want. Never have; it’s completely ahistorical. Design this shit with intention instead of just slapping roads everywhere.
One of the things that we need to change ASAP, in my opinion, is the “clear zone” along streets and highways. That standard was set decades ago, designed to keep drivers from hitting things with their primitive, metal death-traps. Nowadays, cars have lots of safety features, like crumple zones and airbags, and the driver will walk away with minor injuries after hitting a tree. The wide, clear, empty space that we still insist on gives people the perception that they can safely drive fast and look at their phone. There are no safety features on those cars for the people outside of them that they keep hitting, though, so let’s make the drivers pay attention.
Stopped at a light looking at your phone is a crime in MI? What a joke…fix your fucking lead pipes you idiots.
