Michigan has launched a statewide crackdown on distracted driving, with unmarked police vehicles watching for motorists who are not paying attention behind the wheel. Marked patrol cars will make the stops, and the campaign began over the weekend as state and local agencies joined the effort.
The operation, known as Operation Ghost Rider, is being overseen by the National Transportation Safety Organization with help from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and numerous police groups across the state. Jim Santilli said safety on the roads depends on the choices drivers make every time they get behind the wheel, warning that one moment of distraction can inflict lasting harm on families. He also said officials want drivers to work with them for a goal of zero violations because that means everyone is helping keep people safe.
The enforcement push comes as April marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Michigan tries to keep pressure on a problem that has not gone away. The state passed a distracted driving law in 2023 that bans holding any smartphone while driving, even at a red light, and drivers cannot touch a phone at a stoplight or stop sign. That law is meant to curb mobile phone use, but data shows the challenge remains: between 2020 and 2024, nearly 300 people died in distracted-driving crashes, and the share of drivers using a mobile device rose from 5.2% to 5.7% in 2025.
There is a mixed picture behind the crackdown. Distracted-driving crashes have fallen over time, yet the wrecks that do happen are more likely to end in death. That is why Operation Ghost Rider is one of several enforcement efforts planned for April, and why police are using stealth patrols this week to catch drivers before a split second becomes a fatal mistake.
For Michigan, the question is not whether the law exists. It does. The test now is whether a visible enforcement wave, backed by unmarked cars and marked stops, can change behavior fast enough to keep April from adding to a toll that has already been too high.
