Talk is cheap; a ticket is not

"I forgot about the new law." "Really? I never heard that they changed the law."

"I didn't think the law went into effect yet." These are just a few of the excuses heard by law enforcement officers in and around the area since the new Minnesota "hands-free" phone law went into effect on Aug. 1.

Because many of those abusing the new law quickly conceal their mobile phones down when meeting a city, county or state law enforcement vehicle on the road, it makes it difficult to enforce the law. But that's not to say that those abusing the law won't be caught at some point.

Two weeks ago in Eagan, a police officer arrested a young woman who was talking on her phone in the lane next to him. After pulling her over, the officer discovered the woman was texting about the hands-free law.

"Our main goal is to educate people on the new law," said Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen.

"We want to let them know what is appropriate and what is not appropriate."

A random count this past weekend along stretch of Highway 23 on Saturday afternoon saw 19 drivers out of 100 vehicles holding their mobile phone while driving, or nearly one out of every five people.

Of those, 16 were approximately under the age of 30. In Minneota, Police Chief Bill Bolt indicated after three weeks that the law had gone into affect, he had only witnessed one person violating the law. "I suspect they know that they are easier to identify in town," Chief Bolt said.

"So I expect there will be more violations on Highway 68."

At the same point, Sheriff Wallen indicated that Lyon County Deputies had made four traffic stops for violations of the new hands-free phone law. "Whether or not a citation is issued is left up to each officer making the traffic stop," he said.

"Each officer making a stop is expected to educate those in violation of the law." Notifications about the law going into affect on Aug. 1 were made public many months prior to that in order to educate drivers of all ages.

The law reads: Minnesota's Cellphone Law prohibits all motorists from using a cellphone while driving unless in voice-activated or hands-free mode. Drivers may not hold a cellphone to talk, navigate or use applications while behind the wheel.

This mean no calls, scrolling, video calls, Snapchat, looking at or taking pictures, reading text messages, web browsing, etc. Drivers may use cellphones to make calls, text, listen to music and use navigation, as long as it is one-touch or voice activated and they are not holding the phone.

Integrated navigation and other systems, including in-car screens, are exempt from the new law. Hand-held phone use is permitted to call for emergency assistance if there is an immediate threat.

Minnesota also has more specific laws that ban school bus drivers from personal cellphone use and motorists under the age of 18 from all cellphone use (handheld or hands-free).

The penalty for holding your phone while driving is $50 for the first ticket, plus court fees. The second and any later tickets are $275 plus court fees.

It would be less expensive and safer to purchase a Bluetooth speaker or earphone to pair with your phone.

Or purchase a holder to clip your phone to the dash (you can use it in a voice-activated or single-touch mode). According to the National Safety Council and Insurance Federation, in 12 of the 15 states that utilize the hands-free laws, traffic fatalities have decreased by an average of 15 percent.

Law enforcement officers realize that the majority of those violating the law will be the younger drivers. "The younger generation is more tied to their phones," said Sheriff Wallen. "I’m actively monitoring all drivers with a focus on young drivers and those in the school zones," said Chief Bolt.

As some may feel, law enforcement officers are not being lenient when making a stop simply because the law has only been around for three weeks. "The statewide and local public awareness campaign was exceptional and no one can claim ignorance," said Chief Bolt.

"As I do with all of my stops — what you did got you stopped; your mouth got you the ticket. Each stop is based upon their own set of circumstances."

We all make mistakes. The most important thing is that we learn from them.