ST PAUL, Minn. — Law enforcement across Minnesota are in a big distracted driving sweep, tweeting the worst violations.
"I had a guy that was watching "Law and Order" on his phone," said Lt. Gordon Shank, with the Minnesota State Patrol, "He had the video screen in his hand while he was driving."
While some distractions are obvious, others might not be. For example, can you get a ticket for changing the radio station? What about eating or drinking?
We asked Lt. Shank those questions.
"There's not a law that says that changing the radio station is illegal, but there is a law that says you need to drive with due care," he said, "If you find yourself weaving, because you're distracted by eating, or changing the station, you can be stopped and cited."
So, while eating, drinking, and changing the radio station aren't inherently illegal, you can get a ticket if they cause your driving to become dangerous.
"There isn't a law that says it's illegal to sip coffee, but what we are syaing is you need to drive distraction free," Lt. Shank said.
Texting or using electronics is illegal no matter how well you drive.
The Department of Public Safety says they're getting a lot of questions about distracted driving and the new hands-free law.
They've created a website to address them. You can visit it, here.