Technology keeps improving and  advancing faster than we can learn the existing technology. It is becoming more affordable every day. We can accomplish what a desktop computer 20 years ago could in the palm of our hands today. Smart phones have become almost a necessity in our everyday lives.  We can watch videos, look and post on social media, and type documents, as well as communicate with others. 

(*)Recently, a new law was passed that makes it illegal to hold your phone while driving. The Minnesota Hands Free Law went into effect on August 1st, 2019. The law does not allow you to hold your phone. You are not allowed to do “video calling, live-streaming, Snapchat, gaming, looking at video or photos stored on the phone, using non-navigation apps, reading texts, and scrolling or typing on the phone” (VerHelst).

    I was curious what the statistics are about the new law so I looked on “Office of Traffic Safety.” (*)There were “More than 60,000 crashes”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”) that was “distracted driving-related” between the years of ”2014 – 2018”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”). This is adding up to be “one in five crashes in Minnesota.”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”)  “In 2018,”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”) driving distractedly added up to be “3,927 injuries and 29 deaths.”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”) driving distractedly has added up “to an average of 45 deaths and 204 life-changing injuries”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”) in the years between “2014 – 2018.”(“Office of Traffic Safety.”)

    Distracted driving is a very easy thing to get into. A few years ago, I was riding with my cousin to Bemidji. He got a text message and while he was looking at his phone, he went over the yellow line. When I noticed what was happening I pointed it out to him.There was no traffic at that time, but there could have been, and it would have been much different ending. 

The best way to get an idea of what this law will mean for Minnesota is to look at states that have already passed hands-free laws. “According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, almost half of the states have hands-free laws. California has been hands-free since 2008.”(“How Hands-Free Laws Have Impacted Other States.” ) In the ten plus years that California has had these laws there has been  “a decrease of 11,000 crashes and 50,000 citations..” (“How Hands-Free Laws Have Impacted Other States.”) I think Minnesota should expect similar results.

I do believe this law will improve the safety of our roads, but I think there is still more to do.  “A spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said so many other things distract drivers besides phones.”(“How Hands-Free Laws Have Impacted Other States.” ) I have seen people eating, adjusting the music, putting on makeup, daydreaming, yelling at the kids in the backseat and I have even seen one person catching glimpses of the road while watching a movie! Heck even having an intense conversation with the passenger could be considered distracting.

“Even with these laws, hands-free is not distraction-free. According to a (AAA) study, hands-free tech can distract drivers for up to 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands.” (“How Hands-Free Laws Have Impacted Other States.” )

(#)While I think hands free driving will reduce the number of crashes and injuries., it still needs work because we are still distracted by the software. I think this could be solved by more even better  technology. Voice commands and recognition on cell phones and hands-free software should be improved so that we spend less time arguing with the automated voice saying (*)“No, I do not want to call the IRS, I want to call Grandma, Iris.”

Preliminary 2017 data from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System showed that nearly 22,000 California driver