Michigan drivers picking phones back up 5 months after new law

Initial gains in Michigan’s fight against distracted driving have waned in recent months, as the winter holidays, known for more dangerous driving, quickly approach.

During the first two months of enforcing a new state law, phone use while driving declined an estimated 13.7%, according to analytics gathered from the software company Cambridge Mobile Telematics.

Cambridge uses a metric called “phone motion,” or phone interaction while a vehicle is in motion, to gauge the law’s effectiveness. It gathers this data from the nearly 11 million drivers who have agreed to have their driving behaviors tracked in return for safe driving discounts through their auto insurance provider.

This summer, Michigan made it illegal to hold and/or manually use mobile electronic devices while operating a vehicle. That includes anything more than a single touch, even if the vehicle isn’t moving.

The law took effect June 30.

From the month before then, to the month after, Michigan’s phone motion per hour dropped from 1:48 to 1:35. Things improved again during the second month (1:33) before climbing each of the next three months back up to 1:40 five months later.

“There’s a big surge in coverage at the start of the law and then it starts to fade over time,” said Ryan McMahon, Cambridge’s senior vice president of corporate development. “Old habits come back and people forget about the law and it just ticks up ever so slightly.

“It’s a challenge if you’re responsible for highway safety because you’re fighting against a human behavior that is really close to addiction as people continue their digital life behind the wheel.”

Last year, Michigan reported 15,441 vehicle crashes were attributed to distracted driving, including 57 fatalities.

Cambridge estimates distractions fell by about 10.8% in Michigan within the first four-plus months of the law being in effect this year. That prevented about 2,800 crashes, eight fatalities, and $78 million in economic damages.

On the law enforcement side, Michigan State Police issued citations or verbal warnings for an increasing number of alleged violations each month from July through October. That pattern appeared to continue again in November, though data provided in mid-December by MSP didn’t include the full month.

In Michigan, violations of the hands-free law can come with a $100 fine and/or 16 hours of community service upon first offense. Subsequent violations can increase the fine to $250 and may require the completion of a driving-improvement course. Fines are doubled if a violation of the law results in a traffic crash.

Between June 30 and Nov. 27, state police issued 843 verbal warnings and 720 citations for violations of the distracted driving law. While troopers continue to use verbal warnings to educate drivers about the law, they’ve also increased their rate of writing tickets for infractions.

MSP Lt. Michelle Robinson drives an unmarked police vehicle during her 40-minute commute. She regularly sees drivers with a phone in their hand or on their lap, and called it a very big problem.

Asked if the new law is helping, she said it’s too early to know for sure, but it’s at least increasing awareness.

“It’s just like people speeding or not wearing a seat belt,” Robinson said. “They think if they see a marked vehicle they’ll just slow down or put on their seat belt or put the phone down. It’s those individuals, how do you get the message across? Normally it takes a close call or a crash to realize the importance of the message.”

By day of the week, Wednesdays were the most common for traffic stops for violations of the distracted driving law. Sundays were least common. Only Wednesdays (55%) and Saturdays (54%) had more citations given out than verbal warnings.

When it comes to continued reductions of distracted driving, McMahon said states need sustained messaging and education campaigns, paired with enforcement. Otherwise, bad habits return.

Cambridge’s technology can tell when the phone’s screen is active, if it’s being touched or rotated, and how fast it’s moving at a given time, though it doesn’t track how the phone is being used. It can also identify if there’s a crash and alert emergency services.

The company reports that 34% of the crashes it detects come less than a minute after the driver’s phone was in use. Often times, those crashes happen at higher speeds as well because there isn’t time for evasive maneuvers.

“Its a behavior that, one single time may not be the catastrophic event, but the challenge is over time the behavior becomes so commonplace that when drivers get into a situation that their attention is needed in front of them, they’re engaged with their phone,” McMahon said.

With Christmas and New Year’s holidays around the corner, the folks at Cambridge are reminding drivers to put away their phones and focus on the road. In a recent report, the company said the two holidays are among the most distracted days of the year.

On average, drivers are distracted by their phones about 2:32 per hour on Christmas, and about 2:29 per hour on New Year’s Day. Cambridge estimates the increase in distracted driving on Christmas caused 2,000 additional crashes, five fatalities, and $47 million in economic damages over the last three years.

Additionally, Christmas sees the most speeding of any day, while New Year’s Day also lands in the top five.

“It’s important to tell everyone you’re thinking about them during the holidays, but do it when you’re stopped,” McMahon said. “That way you make sure you can see them the next time you want to see them.”