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SISTER CITY: Students visit Germany PAGE 10
Hands-free cellphone bill now law: Here’s what to know BY ELIZABETH CALLEN STAFF WRITER
BY THE NUMBERS
While driving, Minnesotans should ensure that their hands remain on their wheels—and not on their phones. Holding a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle is now illegal in Minnesota, as the hands-free cellphone bill, signed by Gov. Tim Walz in April, took effect Aug. 1. Since 2013, it has been illegal in Minnesota to send text messages or access the internet while driving, but phone calls were permitted, so long as the driver wasn’t distracted. Under the new law, drivers cannot hold a cellphone—or use one to type, scroll or view content—while operating a motor vehicle, including while stopped in traffic or at a light. If caught, drivers face a petty misdemeanor, which carries a $50 fi ne. Add in court fees, and that fi ne could total $130. Subsequent violations carry a $275 fi ne, plus court fees. With the new law now in effect, Minnesota has joined 17 states and Washington, D.C., in requiring drivers to have their phones in handsfree or voice-activated mode while operating a vehicle. Supporters of the law hope that Minnesota will see results similar to those in other states, where traffic fatalities have decreased by 15% on average since such laws took effect. The dangers of distraction Each year, nearly 20% of crashes throughout Minnesota are related to distracted driving. From 2014 to 2018, more than 60,000 accidents were caused by drivers who were
60,000+ 9,545 204
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distracted drivingrelated crashes in Minnesota 2014 to 2018 citations issued in 2018 for texting while driving average number of serious injuries caused by distracted driving each year average number of deaths caused by distracted driving for first violation of hands-free law (plus court fees) for subsequent violations (plus court fees)
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Megan Goeltz (right) died Feb. 29, 2016 in a distracted driving related crash in West Lakeland Township. She was stopped at an intersection when another car came flying out of a roadside ditch and collided with her Ford Fusion.
looking at their phones at the time of the crash. Likewise, distracted driving results in an average of 45 deaths and approximately 200 life-changing injuries per year, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. That’s a set of statistics that Tom Goeltz, of Hudson, knows all too well. A safety and risk management consultant, he spends a significant part of his workweeks educating audiences about the dangers of driving while distracted, but the issue
is also personal to him. In February 2016, his daughter Megan was killed in a crash caused by a distracted driver. “It was a classic distracted driving case. There was kind of a bend in the road, and (the driver) never took the turn. He kept going straight and rolled into a ditch,” Goeltz said. “He rolled through the ditch for about 75 feet, and came up on a crossroad, where Megan was waiting at a SEE DISTRACTED DRIVING, PAGE 18
Governor aims for compromise in split state Legislature BY SARA MARIE MOORE EDITOR
MAPLEWOOD — Gov. Tim Walz said he was pleased with how the Legislature compromised for the good of Minnesota this session but is not yet satisfied because the state left several important issues unsolved this year. These include roads, climate change and gun violence. Yet, Walz was proud of standing with the House and Senate majority leaders at the
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end of the session to say they came up with a pretty good solution on the state’s budget. Walz, a Democrat, was leading the country’s only split state Legislature; the Minnesota House majority is Democrat and the Senate majority is Republican. He said he was criticized for giving Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka credit for the budget, but he is still proud of working together. “It’s not about winning or losing political battles but
finding long-term solutions,” Walz told a group gathered for an event hosted by the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce at the Maplewood Community Center July 23. “I’m not naive. I supervised a high school lunchroom.” Walz hopes that the Legislature can come up with compromises on more divisive issues in 2020. “2020 is going to be a challenge because everything SEE GOVERNOR, PAGE 18
SARA MARIE MOORE | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Snell reads questions to Gov. Tim Walz at an event sponsored by the chamber at the Maplewood Community Center July 23.
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