Michigan House approves ban on texting while driving

A statewide ban on text messaging while driving is one step closer to becoming law today after the Michigan House of Representatives voted to approve new legislation.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the House, as did the Senate, voted to allow police to pull over drivers if they suspect they are text messaging while on the road.

The vote in the House was 74-33.

However, a companion bill that would not add points to a driver's record for violating the texting ban had yet to be approved. That was needed to send the package to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for her signature, the Free Press reported.

The new law, which is expected to take effect July 1, would impose a $100 civil fine for a first offense and a $200 fine for subsequent offenses.

An earlier version would have allowed police to ticket drivers for text messaging only if they were pulled over for other suspected violations.

The Ann Arbor City Council has been working on a local ordinance to ban the use of cell phones while driving. The council recently decided to hold off on voting on any local legislation until what's happening at the state level becomes more clear.

Council Member Tony Derezinski, D-2nd Ward, said the fact that the House approved a texting ban is a step in the right direction. But he said Ann Arbor wanted to take it a step further and ban the use of handheld mobile devices altogether, and it's unclear whether the city can pass an ordinance that is more broad-reaching than state law.

"It depends on the precise language of the clause in the bill," Derezinski said.

Derezinski said the City Council will continue to examine the issue, but he thinks the worst problem already has been addressed by the state taking a stance on texting while driving.

"One of the worst problems will be taken care of on a statewide and uniform basis," he said. "This reminds me of the struggle on other social issues like seat belts or smoking bans — you get one portion of it and then you go to the next.

"We wanted a bill that would be stronger and apply also to cell phones, but if the new preemptive language does not allow it, then we'll work through the Legislature to include other matters such as handheld cell phones. We'll see what we can do down the line."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.

Tags: cell phone ban