In first year, Michigan’s hands-free driving law prevented estimated 5,500 crashes

Hands-free driving laws like the one Michigan passed last year to reduce distracted driving are working, a new analysis found.

According to a study by Massachusetts-based Cambridge Mobile Telematics, the 12 months since Michigan banned hands-on cellphone use while operating a vehicle saw a 12.8% decrease in distracted driving.

Cambridge Mobile Telematics estimates that this drop has prevented 5,500 crashes, 3,000 injuries, 25 fatalities, and $218 million in economic damages.

According to the analysis, in the month before the law took effect, drivers used their phones for 1 minute and 48 seconds per hour of driving. Though cellphone use ticked back up following an initial drop in the months that followed , it has since plunged to the lowest rates, especially in recent months.

Previously, Cambridge Mobile Telematics found that the impact of distracted driving laws fades over time. The firm praised Ohio’s government for keeping that state’s new distracted driving laws at the top of people’s minds with a sustained public relations campaign, including a six-month grace period where police officers let offenders off with a warning.

When the grace period ended in October, the awareness campaign received an additional boost.

“Hands-free laws have proven to be the most effective tool states have to reduce distracted driving,” said Ryan McMahon, SVP of Strategy for CMT. “As we’ve measured the performance of hands-free laws in Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, and Missouri in the last year, every state has seen distracted driving fall, reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities.”

Cambridge Mobile Telematics conducted its analysis using data from devices like smartphones, tracking devices, dash cams, and other third-party devices.

More information is available in Cambridge Mobile Telematics’s 2024 road risk report, “The State of US Road Risk in 2024.”

Signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in June 2023, Michigan’s hands-free law bans the manual use of cellphones while driving. Phones can only be used if they have hands-free technology, like voice commands or Bluetooth.

First-time offenders face a $100 fine and/or 16 hours of community service, while second offenses warrant a $250 fine and/or 24 hours of community service.

Repeat offenders could be ordered to take a driving-improvement course, and fines are doubled if distracted driving results in a doubling of civil fines.