all right thank you very much Ben
Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she
doesn't just want to fix Michigan's
roads she wants to make them safer so
she is looking to change what you might
be doing behind the wheel it is time for
Michigan to join the 16 states that have
passed hands-free laws to keep our roads
and our kids safe so let's make it
happen
[Applause]
take a look at the proposal and has the
story of one father whose length was
changed forever by a distracted driver
Paula hi Karen
yeah so let me talk about the existing
law in Michigan right now it states that
you cannot text and drive however you
can still talk and drive except for in
our hands I guess you could say a
handful of cities that have complete
hands-free laws but those are local
ordinances it is not uniform what
governor Whitner is suggesting what
she's talking about is making it illegal
and uniform so it's against the law to
hold talk text or dial one of these
while driving when governor Whitmer
spoke last night she introduced the
family in the gallery who suffered the
loss of a loved one because of a
distracted driver Mitchell was a
freshman at Michigan State when he was
tragically killed by a distracted driver
today we are joined by Mitchell's
parents Steve Kieffer and Paula Kiefer
from his Inkster home Lance McKay was
watching and I thought about it I'm like
wow Lance you should be up there too and
then all of the emotions came flooding
back like a tidal wave you know when I
see the number 120 on the clock I said
it tier 120 is the time of death when I
see 420 one day he hit 423 good day he
died
429 the day I buried he it has been nine
years since a distracted driver struck
and killed lances son Lance McKay the
second who had just turned 18 and he ran
out of gas
my son was at the back of the trunk
pushing and God came up in the SUV
behind him and hit him at 55 miles an
hour
the witness behind him said that they've
seen him holding the phone and the phone
was lit up blue when we first told you
Lance's story shortly after his son's
death he took us driving I see a guy in
front of me on the phone I see three
passengers so that's telling me there's
three lives at stake there he wanted to
show us how often people become the
weapon that killed his son it hurts to
see that because I know what the outcome
can be the outcome is tragic and the
outcome is final he is glad the governor
is talking about strengthening the
existing law she should pass that law
and people that don't think it should be
passed how many children have died due
to someone texting and driving or even
eating while you're in the vehicle that
vehicle becomes a weapon when you do
that and it needs to stop and it needs
to stop today ok so I do want to put
some finer points on this this law or I
should say it's not a law because right
now it's just talk but what the governor
is proposing does not address eating
putting on makeup reading it's just the
mobile devices it means making it
uniform and also cleaning it up so that
you can't even text while stopped at a
stoplight again not a law this has been
tried by the way Karen in the past
hasn't made it through the legislature
but I will say this Michigan State
Police tell me they are glad it's being
talked about a game and they are 100% in
support of such a law it is such a huge
everyday occurrence
thank you very much Paula we appreciate
it