On September 30, Massachusetts will enter a new era in the Information Age, with the Safe Driving Law, which most notably bans text-messaging while driving, going into effect. Signed by Governor Deval Patrick in July, the new law also creates violations for any use of a cell phone by Junior Operators (16 and 17 year-olds), any use of a cell phone by public transport vehicle operators (MBTA, etc.), and improper use of a cell phone by operators who are 18 and over (one hand must be on the steering wheel at all times), according to mass.gov. This legislation comes after the May, 2009 crash of an MBTA Green Line trolley that injured 49 people, caused by the conductor sending a text-message, and increased concern about car accidents as younger generations rely more and more on texting and using other handheld electronic devices.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 29 states have banned texting while driving before Massachusetts, New York having a ban on all handheld cell phone use since 2001. These states cite using cell phones while driving as a major distraction, and believe this use to be a substantial cause of car accidents. A study conducted by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis in 2002 calculated that about 2,600 people die each year because of it, and that another 330,000 are injured. Young people are seen as the most at-risk for these accidents, which is why all cell phone use will be prohibited for Junior Operators. “I never took [the danger] seriously until one of my close friends lost his life from texting and driving,” said BSU junior Taylor Cleary, causing her to “fully support the new law.”
The Safe Driving Law does not prohibit Massachusetts drivers from making calls, but writing, sending, and reading text-messages, as well as emails, instant messages, and searching the internet, will be illegal according to mass.gov. The law also applies to laptops, handheld video game systems, and digital cameras, but not GPS devices, and applies even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic. Emergency situations are the only exemption from all aspects of the law. Junior Operators committing their first offense will receive a $100 fine and have their license suspended for 60 days, and all other drivers will be fined $100 for their first offense and $500 for a third offense. Drivers can be pulled over by police if they are believed to be texting while driving, and any car accidents known to be caused by cell phone use will be considered a criminal offense, the offender receiving a 60-day license suspension and $500 reinstatement fee.
The new law compares to the one calling for the use of a seat-belt: it can’t be enforced unless a police officer notices it. “Because it has some enforcement problems attached to it,” said BSU Chief of Police David Tillinghast, “doesn’t mean the statute is a bad idea.” He believes that the law will “probably not” put a stop to texting while driving around campus, similar to how speeding laws have not ended speeding, but that it will have a “substantial deterrent effect.”
“I can’t say [texting while driving] has specifically been the cause of any accidents on campus,” said Chief Tillinghast, because “it wasn’t tracked previously,” but after September 30 “officers will be more attuned to it.” Students and others driving around campus will be charged with texting while driving “if an officer happens to see it” or “if someone tells us after an incident” that it was the cause, he said.
“It is literally impossible to text and drive safely, so I’m glad the legislature has addressed it.”
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