BleedGopher
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per STrib:
For drivers with a habit of talking on cellphones, Thursday is the day to put the devices down.
The state’s new hands-free law takes effect, forbidding drivers from holding phones and other electronic devices while behind the wheel — and police will be watching for distracted drivers.
“If you are violating the law, you should expect to be pulled over by law enforcement,” said Col. Matt Langer, head of the Minnesota State Patrol. “We will be busy educating and enforcing.”
Plenty of Minnesotans will need to change their behavior quickly.
Minnesota drivers spend about 15% of every trip on the phone talking, swiping and texting, according to TrueMotion, a Massachusetts-based company that monitors mobile-phone use for insurance companies. The company also found that laws forbidding drivers from holding phones in other states led to fewer fatalities and crashes and dramatically reduced the amount of time drivers’ eyes and minds were off the road.
Mike Hanson, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, hopes the law will have the same impact in Minnesota. He called Thursday a “monumental day for roadway safety.”
From 2014 to 2018, more than 60,000 crashes resulted from distracted driving, accounting for one of every five wrecks in Minnesota. On average, distracted driving leads to 45 deaths and 204 life-changing injuries a year, according to DPS.
Under the new law, Hanson said, “Lives will be saved, families kept whole and preventable tragedies will not happen.”
http://www.startribune.com/drivers-...nds-free-law-takes-effect-thursday/513456952/
Go Gophers!!
For drivers with a habit of talking on cellphones, Thursday is the day to put the devices down.
The state’s new hands-free law takes effect, forbidding drivers from holding phones and other electronic devices while behind the wheel — and police will be watching for distracted drivers.
“If you are violating the law, you should expect to be pulled over by law enforcement,” said Col. Matt Langer, head of the Minnesota State Patrol. “We will be busy educating and enforcing.”
Plenty of Minnesotans will need to change their behavior quickly.
Minnesota drivers spend about 15% of every trip on the phone talking, swiping and texting, according to TrueMotion, a Massachusetts-based company that monitors mobile-phone use for insurance companies. The company also found that laws forbidding drivers from holding phones in other states led to fewer fatalities and crashes and dramatically reduced the amount of time drivers’ eyes and minds were off the road.
Mike Hanson, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, hopes the law will have the same impact in Minnesota. He called Thursday a “monumental day for roadway safety.”
From 2014 to 2018, more than 60,000 crashes resulted from distracted driving, accounting for one of every five wrecks in Minnesota. On average, distracted driving leads to 45 deaths and 204 life-changing injuries a year, according to DPS.
Under the new law, Hanson said, “Lives will be saved, families kept whole and preventable tragedies will not happen.”
http://www.startribune.com/drivers-...nds-free-law-takes-effect-thursday/513456952/
Go Gophers!!