State Senate: Hang those fuzzy dice
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Lansing -- Fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror would no longer be outlawed under a bill that won passage in the Senate today.
The chamber voted unanimously for a measure that strikes down a law that says items dangling from the rearview mirror are a no-no.
"We understand there are many distractions in cars, such as cell phones or GPS systems, but we did not feel that a rosary or air freshener was in the same league," said Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, sponsor of the bill. "This will help make it legal to do what thousands of Michigan residents already do -- hang a memento from their mirror."
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Under the law, police officers can stop cars at their discretion. A court ruling in 2008 determined that any item was an obstruction, no matter its size. Jelinek's bill drops "dangling items" from the law and says a motorist can only be pulled over for objects that clearly obstruct the driver's vision.
The vote prompted Sen. Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, to lament that the Senate spent time on "the fuzzy dice bill" when it could have devoted time to more substantial issues -- such as a public smoking ban.
mhornbeck@detnews.com (313) 222-2470
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