Phones, seat belts and child passengers

Key points

1. Michigan's general cell phone law bans holding or using a mobile device, like a phone or tablet, while driving on a public road.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “This means you cannot hold or use a mobile electronic device, such as a cell phone or tablet, while operating a motor vehicle on a public road, street, highway, or other public venue.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 24

2. Drivers face a $100 fine for a first hand held phone offense and $250 after that.

   Source: Handbook p. 23

   “Drivers face a fine of $100 for a first offense and $250 for subsequent violations.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 23

3. Kelsey's Law bars teens with a learner's or intermediate license from non emergency phone calls.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “Kelsey’s Law (MCL 257.602c) prohibits teens with a GDL 1 or GDL 2 from making or receiving non-emergency phone calls.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 24

4. At 65 mph, a car covers 24 feet in the quarter second it takes your brain to switch tasks.

   Source: Handbook p. 23

   “In the estimated quarter of a second it takes the brain to shift attention between two tasks, a car moving at 65 mph covers 24 feet.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 23

5. All front seat occupants and all passengers under 16 must be buckled up.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “All front seat passengers to be buckled up (including the driver). • All passengers younger than age 16 to be buckled up, in all seating positions”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 25

6. Children must use a car seat or booster until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Children are to be properly buckled up in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 25

7. Children under 4 must ride in a rear seat if the vehicle has one.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Children younger than age 4 must be positioned in a rear seat if the vehicle is equipped with a rear seat.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 25

8. A rear facing child seat may go in the front only if the passenger air bag is turned off.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “A child in a rear-facing child-restraint system may only be placed in the front seat if the front passenger air bag is deactivated.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 25

9. Anyone under 18 may not ride in an open pickup bed going over 15 mph.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Anyone under 18 years old is prohibited from riding in the open bed of a pickup truck traveling more than 15 mph.”
   What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 25

10. It is illegal to leave children under 6 unattended in a vehicle when it poses an unreasonable risk.

    Source: Handbook p. 26

    “it is illegal to leave children younger than 6 years old unattended in a vehicle if the amount of time or circumstances in which they are left poses an unreasonable risk of harm or injury.”
    What Every Driver Must Know, Handbook p. 26

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Michigan practice test

1. 1. What does Michigan's general cell phone law prohibit while a vehicle is operating on a public road?

   1. Using a permanently installed vehicle navigation screen
   2. Listening to directions from a passenger
   3. Looking at a mounted dash camera that continuously records video
   4. Holding or using a mobile electronic device, such as a phone or tablet
   Show answer

   Holding or using a mobile electronic device, such as a phone or tablet. Michigan's general law prohibits holding or using a mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle on a public road, street, highway, or other public venue. The dash-camera and permanently installed-system choices describe listed exceptions or integrated equipment, not the core prohibition. A passenger giving directions is not device use by the driver. Keep the device out of the driver's hand while the vehicle is operating.

2. 2. When must a Michigan child use an approved car seat or booster seat?

   1. Until age 10 regardless of height
   2. When younger than 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches
   3. Only until age 4 regardless of height
   4. Whenever seated in the front seat, regardless of age or height
   Show answer

   When younger than 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches. Michigan requires an approved child-safety seat or booster for children younger than eight or under 4 feet 9 inches tall, in every seating position. The rule ends when the child reaches the age requirement or the height requirement, whichever comes first. The age ten option extends the law beyond the stated threshold, while age four addresses a different rear-seat provision. Check both age and height before switching to a seat belt alone.

3. 3. When may a rear-facing child restraint be placed in Michigan's front seat?

   1. Whenever the child is under age four
   2. Only when the vehicle is traveling below 25 mph
   3. Only when the front passenger air bag is deactivated
   4. Whenever the rear seat has a lap belt
   Show answer

   Only when the front passenger air bag is deactivated. A rear-facing child restraint may be placed in the front seat only if the front passenger air bag is deactivated. The child's age alone does not authorize that position, and speed or the type of rear-seat belt does not change the air-bag condition. The danger comes from air-bag deployment toward the rear-facing seat. Before placing the restraint forward, verify the passenger air bag is off.

Source: the What Every Driver Must Know, Chapter 4: Traffic Laws. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.