While it should have been obvious, the message to keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road when driving — and off cell phones and other electronic devices — has taken awhile to sink in, despite its potential for disaster.

Distracted driving is thought to have claimed more than 3,000 lives in 2022, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

With that kind of grim statistic in mind, states have enacted laws to make drivers think twice about using their phones while driving, including Michigan, according to a recent news release.

A Michigan State University survey of Michigan drivers found a decrease in the handheld use of cell phones or other electronic devices while driving. The researchers credit the state’s “hands-free” law that went into effect June 30, 2023, and prohibits drivers from using a phone or electronic device while driving.

“We saw a 1.2 percentage point decrease in the number of drivers using handheld devices compared to the same time period a year ago,” Tim Gates, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the MSU College of Engineering, said in the news release. “When you consider that Michigan has approximately 8 million licensed drivers, this translates to approximately 96,000 fewer drivers using handheld devices.”

There were some predictable patterns in putting the phone down, researchers said. Gates and his team found handheld device use varied significantly by driver age. Drivers younger than 30 were about twice as likely to use a handheld mobile device compared with drivers age 30 to 59 years and more than six times as likely to use a handheld device compared with drivers age 60 or older, according to the survey.

The survey, which MSU has done annually for more than a decade, also monitors seat belt use by front-seat drivers and passengers.

The surveys occur during daylight hours over a 21-day period beginning the day after Memorial Day, which coincides with the end of the annual Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign. The surveys are done at 200 sites selected from 35 counties that represent at least 85% of the fatal crashes statewide.

Gates said in the news release the survey also indicated shifts in seat belt trends when comparing data from before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in traffic volume, speeds and the types of drivers on the road. For example, while many office workers have permanently gone to remote work, workers in manufacturing, construction, education, hospitality, retail and several other sectors must continue to commute.

“We were seeing 94% seat belt use pre-COVID, which has steadily declined to 92%,” Gates said. “The study revealed that young males in pickup trucks tend to exhibit the lowest rates of safety belt use.”

Researchers hope survey data can be used to develop targeted messaging campaigns to keep drivers safe in Michigan.

It would be a good reminder that risky behaviors while behind the wheel can have dire consequences.