Starting August 1st, you can touch the phone but only just once.
“It’s simple, – you have a phone in your hand, it’s a citation. There’s no reason that someone should have it there,” said Blaine Police Officer Matt Langreck.
You can’t have your phone in your hand. You also can’t video call, video live-stream, Snapchat, game, look at videos or photos, use non-navigation apps, read texts and scroll or type on your phone.
GPS and other navigation apps are allowed.
“We’ll be educating people in the first couple months here to make sure that everyone is up to snuff of in . There’s been a lot of media through the state. I’m assuming that most people will have at minimum heard about it,” said Langreck.
There are fines for breaking the law – $50 plus court fees for the first ticket, $275 plus court fees for later tickets.
It’s under reported, no one likes to tell the police, you know what I wasn’t paying attention I was on my phone and that’s how I got into that crash.
Using earphones in both ears at the same time are also illegal.
Traffic fatalities in 12 of 15 states with hands-free laws have decreased by an average of 15 percent according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“It is all visual so troopers watch for motorists, they watch for their behaviors. So what law enforcement will look for these behaviors t will not be hard to pick out. Come august 1st, if you drive with the phone up to your head it’s obviously going to be in violation, if you pull up to a stop sign and you see someone composing a text message, it’s obviously going to be in violation,” Col. Matt Langer, Chief of MN State Patrol.
So keep your eyes fixed on the road and pay attention. You don’t know what else might distract you while you’re on your way.
To go hands-free, connect your phone to your car using Bluetooth. Pair your phone to your current truck or car and drive hands-free.
