Distracted Driving Dangers: Michigan Auto Law’s Steven Gursten Shares Life-Saving Tips With Mason

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and Mason and Devon from 105.9 KISS-FM welcomed a special guest into the studio — Steven Gursten, President of Michigan Auto Law — to talk about the serious dangers on Michigan’s roads today.

“It’s distracted driver season,” Mason said as he introduced Steve. “Always good to see you, man.”

Steven, who travels the country teaching other attorneys how to handle trucking and traumatic brain injury cases, emphasized that truck crashes are a different animal compared to accidents with a regular passenger car.

“Trucking has its own language and a whole different set of rules,” Steve explained. “There are rules truck drivers must follow, like hours of service so they’re not driving fatigued — which is a huge problem. Only about 1% of trucks on the road actually get inspected, and about 1 in 4 trucks are in such a dangerous state that if inspected, they would be immediately pulled off the road.”

Steve painted a stark picture: “When you have an 80,000-pound truck on the road, it’s like a moving brick wall.”

He warned that many trucking companies cut corners to underbid safer companies, creating major risks for everyday drivers. “The worst trucking companies are able to undermine the good ones by lowballing prices,” he said.

Mason reflected on a chilling encounter with a truck during a whiteout. “He wouldn’t brake. I had to pull over because he was relentless.”

Steve confirmed, “Federal regulations say they shouldn’t even be on the road in whiteout conditions.”

April is a key month to highlight a growing epidemic: distracted driving.

“What people need to know is that distracted driving today is like drunk driving was in the ’70s,” Steve said. “The science shows that texting while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk.”

Devon Campbell asked, “Other than phones and makeup, what else counts as distracted driving?”

Steve didn’t hold back: “I’m seeing a ton of streaming — Netflix, TikTok, YouTube — and even cases where truck drivers were streaming porn while driving. It’s terrifying.”

Steven explained the deadly science behind distraction: “If you’re driving 55 miles per hour, and you look down for five seconds, you’ve just traveled the length of a football field — blindfolded.”

Steve shared one of the most heartbreaking facts: distracted driving is now the #1 cause of death for teens and young adults.

“There are biological reasons,” he explained. “The prefrontal cortex, which controls impulse control, doesn’t fully develop until age 26. Combine that with the addictive dopamine hits from social media, and it’s a lethal mix.”

To help address this, Steve partnered with Bonnie Raphael, a mother who lost her daughter Kelsey in a distracted driving crash, to create Kelsey’s Law Scholarship — a program encouraging teens to create peer-to-peer messaging around safe driving.

“I’m trying to make it socially unacceptable for teens to drive distracted — just like drunk driving eventually became socially unacceptable,” he said.

Steve stressed that when it comes to teaching kids about safe driving, actions speak louder than words.

“It doesn’t matter what you say. It matters what you do,” he said. “If your kids see you texting while driving, odds are they’re going to do it too.”

Mason added, “That’s a big one right there.”

When Devon asked about hands-free devices, Steve was blunt: “I hate hands-free. The science shows there’s not much difference. Your attention is still divided.”

Steven also warned listeners about the importance of having the right car insurance — especially in Detroit, where 50% of drivers may be uninsured.

“Always buy uninsured motorist coverage,” he advised. “It protects you if you’re hit by someone driving without insurance.”

He also recommended paying for full no-fault PIP coverage, not the bare minimum: “If you suffer a serious injury, you’ll blow through the minimum caps fast, and your injuries don’t magically go away after the money runs out.”

Steve encouraged listeners to check out resources at AutoLaw.com, where he writes extensively about car insurance, auto law tips, and ways to better protect your family on the road.

“Steve, thanks for spending some time with us again,” Mason said. “We’re lucky to have the best right here in Michigan.”