Today, a House committee will meet for the second time to discuss a ban on hand-held devices. This is an effort to crack down on distracted driving.
The ban would restrict all phones used while driving with an exception for hands-free technology. It would make Michigan the 15th state to ban driving with a hand-held phone.
The bill, if passed, would increase fines for an initial violation from $100 to $250, and add a point to the motorist’s license.
A second violation will jump from $200 to $500.
A third will add two more points.
There has been a 70 percent spike in distracted driving since 2015. Last year, there were almost 13,000 crashes involving distracted driving in Michigan alone.