Drivers are now completely prohibited from using hand-held mobile telephones if they are operating a commercial motor vehicle. "As of January 3, you cannot use a hand-held mobile telephone in any way when you are driving a commercial motor vehicle," says Lansing criminal defense attorney Mike Nichols.
The new statute makes it a state law violation to use at least one hand to hold a mobile telephone to conduct voice communication; dial or answer a mobile telephone by pressing more than a single button or reach for a mobile telephone in a manner that requires the driver to maneuver so that he or she is no longer in a seated position, restrained by a properly installed and adjusted seatbelt.
Nichols, an expert in criminal defense and a leading drunk driving defense attorney in Lansing and East Lansing says "it appears that the use of blue tooth cell phone communication is still legal for commercial motor vehicle operators. It also appears that the legislation also carved out an exception for 1-touch speaker phone devices that are within the driver's reach without having to unbuckle."
Using a hand-held mobile phone of any style is still legal if the driver is communicating with law enforcement or has moved the vehicle to the side of or off a highway and has stopped in a spot where the vehicle can remain stationary safely. |