Massachusetts headed for cell-driver ban?

[debgeisler]

Massachusetts drivers may soon be banned from talking and driving, notes today's Boston Globe online,

A ban on driving while talking on the cellphone or texting made it to the floor of the Massachusetts House today, but not to a final vote.

With 16 amendments proposed, lawmakers gave the bill preliminary approval, but postponed further action, saying they wanted to take a closer look at the bill.

The bill, which was approved yesterday by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation, would fine drivers who use the devices $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second, and $500 for subsequent offenses. Drivers under 18 also could face license suspension.

I have no idea what the actual legislation looks like, but I'm strongly in favor of a measure to curb driving and chatting.

And any bill that offers finger-ectomies as penalties for sending text messages while driving would get a lot of support by Boston-area drivers.

Comments

[rono-60103.livejournal.com]

I did notice a very minor factual error in the article. It didn't list New Mexico as states with a state-wide ban on driving while on a hand-held cell phone. I'll have to remember to bring my hands-free next time I go there at least for the inevitable call to my wife telling her I've got the car and she needs to head out to the curb for pick up.

Of course, I probably should do that anyway since it is much safer to use hands-free.

[madfilkentist]

It's been found that a large part of the risk is simply the distraction of talking rather than the use of hands, so cell phone users should be careful either way, and should always be willing to say on a moment's notice, "Getting into bad traffic -- sorry, talk to you later!"

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

In general, I agree that driving and texting/phone are a bad idea.

However, I tend to do this when I'm stuck in traffic jams. So, if I'm driving at less than 10 mph, is that really the same thing as someone driving and phoning at 60 mph??

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

The problem is the people who drive at 10 mph...when the rest of traffic is trying to go 15 mph.

And sending text messages while driving is unsafe at any speed.

[liscarey.livejournal.com]

If everyone were phoning or texting only when stuck in a traffic jam, no one would be pushing these laws. Unfortunately, those of us who use our cell phones when driving only under those conditions, and not when we're maneuvering at high speed or in trick conditions, appear to be the exception rather than the rule.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

I propose a simple rule for accident responsibility: Whoever was texting gets 100%; if nobody, whoever was talking on a handheld phone gets 100%; next, talking on a handsfree phone. If neither driver was doing any of those, the old rules apply.

i'm all for it!

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

It would be nice, though, if you could count on enforcement of existing traffic laws as well. Such as not running red lights and stop signs, turning only when and where allowed, etc. I see boneheaded maneuvers all the time, and while I do play a highway game called "old, drunk or on the phone, you decide" most of it's plain old bad driving.

Re: i'm all for it!

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'll settle for minor improvements...we can't stop Massachusetts drivers from doing those little things that endear them to the rest of the nation, now, can we?

Re: i'm all for it!

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I just figure we already have some nice useful traffic laws, only if they're never enforced, more laws aren't going to help that much.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Would that include earphones/hands-free?