Gov. Charlie Baker ushered in a new era of road rules on Monday, signing into law a new ban on practically all forms of handheld cellphone use by drivers. For well over a decade, some lawmakers have sought to crack down on the use of cellphones by drivers, and Rep. Joseph Wagner of Chicopee, the […]
texting
Posted inTransportation
House to vote on distracted driving bill Tuesday
IN THE FINAL days of major lawmaking before the winter break, the Massachusetts House and Senate are poised to send the governor legislation to ban drivers from handheld cellphone use. The bill has sought to balance the goal of stricter traffic laws to curb a road hazard that has led to deaths in Massachusetts with […]
Posted inTransportation
Senate passes distracted driving bill unanimously
LEGISLATION TO CRACK down on cellphone use by drivers breezed through the Senate on Thursday, setting up a debate with the House over how concerns about racial profiling should be handled before it is sent to the governor. Before the unanimous vote, members highlighted the tragic stories of parents seated in the gallery who had […]
Posted inTransportation
Pass a ban on drivers using hand-held phones, Massachusetts
MASSACHUSETTS IS A PIONEER with many civic, scientific and technological advancements, yet we lag behind many other states in creating safer roads. We must pass legislation to ban texting and driving this year. Last year, Rhode Island and Georgia joined the growing number of states who have passed hands-free driving laws. That means four states […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawmakers hear support and concern for road safety bills
DISTRACTED DRIVING HAS become an “epidemic,” Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack told lawmakers on Thursday, pushing for a policy package that she said would make motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians safer. Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill would allow police to pull over drivers for failing to wear a seat belt, ban handheld phone use by drivers, and provide […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Dialing up the road safety debate
ROOTED IN ONE of the most abominable facets of the nation’s past, racial profiling remains a risk today for drivers of color. At the same time, the havoc caused by motorists distracted by smartphones, a triumph of ingenuity and engineering, presents a uniquely modern hazard on streets and highways. Efforts to grapple with those two […]