On Monday, the Senate approved legislation that prohibits drivers from placing phone calls outside of hands-free mode. The bill, H.F. 50, known as the ‘hands-free bill’ passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now awaits action by a conference committee.

Following the passage of the bill Senator Dan Hall (R-Burnsville) issued the following statement:

“This is a really important bill that protects our drivers from people who are being selfish and unsafe. While I am not a fan of having Minnesotans lose their liberties the sheer amount of people being injured or killed because of some peoples’ irresponsible and reckless cell phone use is just astounding. This legislation will bring about a necessary cultural change similar to the seat belt reform and ultimately make the road safer for Minnesota’s drivers.”

The bill requires drivers to use cell phones in a hands-free mode for voice-activated calls. Functions such as navigation and music would still be allowed, along with podcasts and other audio-based content. The law would not apply to drivers in vehicles legally parked outside of traffic or for emergency calls. State law already bans texting, using email, and web browsing while driving but the State Patrol currently has trouble enforcing the law regarding texting while driving as many of the people caught claim they were typing in a phone number to make a call.

12 of the 15 states that have already passed hands-free saw fatalities decrease by an average of 16% within two years of implementation.

The legislation awaits action by a conference committee, which will meet to work out differences between the bills passed by the House and the Senate.