NW Twin Cities

Less than 2 percent of motorists had their tickets dismissed for violating the state’s relatively new hands-free cell phone law while driving.

The analysis comes from the Minnesota-based media outlet Star Tribune, which collected ticket information from the State Court Administrator's Office.

In April, Gov. Tim Walz signed Minnesota’s hands-free driving bill into law. Similar to other states, it seeks to prevent crashes related to distracted driving. Motorists can use their cell phones for GPS and voice commands. The law expanded on current anti-texting while driving regulations.

Since the law took effect, at least 9,700 drivers have received a citation. The Star Tribune examined records between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31.

The 2 percent dismissal rate is likely attributed to the state clarifying cell phone use while driving and making it harder for motorists to dispute the citations, an attorney, who has represented people in distracted-driving cases, told The Tribune.

“In the past, if an officer could not verify that the person was talking on their phone or manipulating it or doing something to the phone, that made the job of the prosecutor more difficult,” Attorney Jay Rolloff told the Star Tribune. “Now, if law enforcement sees somebody holding a phone in their hand, even if it is to do nothing, it is an easier case for the government to prove.”

From 2014 to 2018, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety reported 60,000 distracted-driving related crashes, accounting for one in five incidents. During this period, distracted driving resulted in an average of 45 deaths and what the safety office called 204 life-changing injuries per year.

“Many of the families who have been affected by distracted driving, and who have been tirelessly advocating for this law, are the reason we’re here today,” Walz said in April 2019 during a bill-signing ceremony. “Minnesotans deserve safe roads and this bipartisan bill helps prevent senseless accidents and improves our public safety.”