By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

Niles Police Capt. James Millin says he sees it regularly on the roadways – a car swerving in and out of its lane while its operator stares and types away at his or her phone.

“I think we’ve all seen people texting while driving on the road,” Millin said. “Of course, that’s just dangerous.”

But starting Thursday, Millin will be able to pull over these cell phone-impaired drivers when a new law, signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in April, takes effect.

The law makes texting while driving a primary offense, meaning police can ticket a driver just for seeing a driver texting. This includes typing, sending or reading a text message or an e-mail on a mobile device.

Police can fine the driver $100 for the first offense and $200 for subsequent offenses. No points will be added to a driver’s record for a violation of the law.

Michigan becomes the 24th state to introduce a texting while driving ban.

The law does not outlaw dialing or talking on cell phones while driving, which could make it a difficult law to enforce.

“It certainly could be (difficult to enforce),” Millin said. “We’ll see how it goes. But if an officer believes they are texting, they will stop them. Texting takes long than dialing a number, so they will be distracted for a bit longer.”

State Police Trooper Tim Thompson from the Niles Post is not too worried about enforcing the new law.

“We’ll be looking for typical indicators of distracted driving,” he said. “Swerving in the lane and head down. Enforcement won’t be a major issue.”

Thompson also said the law is a step in the right direction to curbing distracted driving of all kinds.

“How many crashes have we dealt with that the person looked down for just a second?” he said. “It only takes a moment of distraction.”

Thompson said he recently read a study that reported about 6,000 crashes with serious injuries involved texting nationwide.

“And that’s just crashes involving injuries,” Thompson said. “I’m sure there are many more unreported.”

In 2009, the state recorded 947 people using cell phones at the time of a crash.

To help remind drivers of the ban, the Office of Highway Safety Planning is launching a “Thumbs on the Wheel” campaign, featuring billboards, public service announcements and posters in the state.