07.07.10
New Texting Ban
Two Michigan prosecutors mull over the new law:
The statute that took effect last week (PA 2010 No. 60; MCL 257.602b) has been widely reputed to ban only texting in a moving vehicle. It appears to me, however, that the language could be interpreted more broadly than that.
Under the statute, “a person shall not read, manually type, or send a text message on a wireless 2-way communications device that is located in a person’s hand or in the person’s lap, including a wireless telephone used in cellular telephone service or personal communication service” while operating a moving motor vehicle.
Couldn’t that language be interpreted to ban dialing (typing) a number to place a cell-phone call, or reading email, in addition to texting?
and
I was quite surprised at how narrow the statute is. My first thought was no texting, but apparently people can update their Facebook pages while driving.
