Keep your eyes on the road and off distractions like a cell phone or a fast food meal if you want to avoid be stopped during April’s distracted driving crackdown in Minnesota.
The distracted driving enforcement began April 1 and will run through April 30. It is a statewide crackdown, meaning police will be enforcing the crackdown all over the state, so no street is safe from distracted driving!
“Almost every crash that happens is an avoidable tragedy. We want to protect families by reminding drivers to focus on the road,” said OTS Director Mike Hanson, who added that putting phones away and setting aside other tasks while driving saves lives. “Lives really do depend on how much attention you give the road.”
Distracted Driving Statistics
Distracted driving has become an increasing issue on the roads, especially in the last few decades as smartphones have become much more prevalent. Even though Minnesota has a Hands-Free law that makes it illegal to hold a cell phone or press more than the answer button when driving, distracted driving incidents have largely been increasing in Minnesota. Moreover, the actual number of distracted driving cases is probably lower than reported, given that it’s difficult to always prove where someone’s attention was prior to a crash.
According to statistics from the Minnesota Department of Traffic Safety, from 2020 to 2025, there were 33,183 distracted driving crashes that resulted in 162 fatalities and 888 serious injuries. There were 21 fatalities and 159 serious injuries related to distracted driving last year alone, and again, those numbers are likely under reported.
As we’ve talked about in previous blogs on distracted driving, it’s not light ticket. A first offense citation typically costs more than $100 when court fees are included, and subsequent offenses usually exceed $300 when court fees are included. The potential penalties will also skyrocket and you could face serious jail time if your distracted driving leads to the death or injury of other individuals, so put the cell phones down.
Of course, it’s not just cell phones that prove distracting behind the wheel. Police will also be out in full force looking for other distracting behaviors, which oftentimes include:
- Changing music or the radio station on a dashboard console
- Playing around with GPS or navigation controls
- Eating food and drinking beverages
- Putting on makeup
- Reading maps, books, magazines or any other print medium
- Focusing attention on children in the back seats
Anything that pulls your attention from the road should be avoided if at all possible. If you absolutely know that you need to tend to a matter that is going to draw your attention away from the road for more than a second or two, pull over in a safe location and take care of the matter. Composing that email or reaching back to help your child clean up a mess while driving isn’t worth the risk to both yourself and others.
So put the phones down this April, but if you find yourself facing a distracted driving citation or another traffic matter, you owe it to yourself to at least consult with a lawyer to learn about the best options for moving forward. We may tell you to contest it on your own as it’s not worth bringing a lawyer on for a small fine, but other times there may be additional potential penalties that definitely warrant bringing a lawyer into the fold. Take a free consultation and learn more about your legal options.
To set up one of those consultations or to speak with a member of our legal staff, give us a call today at (952) 224-2277.
