How Minnesota Is Tackling Distracted Driving This Summer

We are in the 100 deadliest days on Minnesota roadways, and it seems the excuses drivers will try to use to get their way out of a distracted driving ticket, for not following Minnesota's hands-free law, are falling on 'deaf' ears. Here are 10 excuses that Minnesota drivers have tried to use while trying to get out of a ticket.

The Law Has Been Around For 6 Years Now

Since August 1st, 2019, Minnesota has had a hands-free driving law that states it's illegal for drivers in Minnesota to be holding a phone in one or both hands or engaging in using the phone in any other way other than through a hands-free or voice-activated mode. Violators of the hands-free law are subject to a ticket that can impose a fine of $100 for your first offense and $300 for each subsequent violation.

If you get in a crash while using a phone, and that crash results in death, you can even face "a felony charge of criminal vehicular operation or homicide."

The number of drivers I see regularly STILL using a phone while driving can be so irritating, as you can instantly tell they were on their phones based on how they are, or in some cases, aren't driving.

MN Law Enforcement Cracking Down On Distracted Driving

Right now, Minnesota law enforcement is cracking down on both speeding and distracted driving on our roads, and it doesn't matter what your license plate reads; using your phone illegally while driving will get you a ticket.

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No 'Excuse' To Be Using Your Phone While Driving

Here are 10 of the most heard excuses Minnesota law enforcement hears when they are about to issue a driver a hands-free ticket.

“I was just checking the GPS, only for a second!”
“It was an emergency call from my kid/spouse/parent.”
“I wasn’t texting, I was changing the song!”
“I didn’t know the law applied when I was stopped at a red light.”
“I was using speakerphone, just holding it close so I could hear better.”
“I dropped my phone and was just picking it up!”
“I just got a new phone and didn’t know how to use the hands-free feature yet.”
“I’m from out of state, I didn’t know Minnesota had a hands-free law.”
“I was calling 911 to report a bad driver.”
“I wasn’t driving, I was just rolling forward in traffic.”

Technology Helping Law Enforcement Catch Drivers In The Act

Right now, there is some pretty intense technology out there that Minnesota law enforcement is using to catch drivers in the act. We've all heard about buses being used to see if drivers are using their phones, but the Minnesota Department of Public Safety just put out a video on social media showing an undercover cruiser decked out with cameras that will record drivers as they go by, and can be used to issue distracted driving citations for drivers using their phones while driving.

Slow Down & Hang Up The Phone

Do your friends, relatives, and neighbors all a favor; put down the phone while you are driving; we all want to make it to our destinations safely.

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