Driving while using your cell phone will be illegal in Massachusetts - What you need to know
On November 25 2019, Governor Baker signed a hands-free driving bill into law which will make it illegal to use your cell phone while driving, with a few exceptions. The law will go into effect February 23, 2020.
Here is an excerpt from the law:
“No operator of a motor vehicle shall hold a mobile electronic device or “use a mobile electronic device unless the device is being used in hands free mode.”
So essentially, you can use your phone while in the car, but it has to be in hands-free mode and the only time you can legally touch it is to activate hands-free mode.
Note: There is a separate law in effect since 2010 that banned Massachusetts drivers under 18 years of age from using a cell phone in any way while driving, even in hands-free mode. This same 2010 law also made it illegal for drivers of any age to read or text while driving.
Emergency exceptions
There are several emergency scenarios in which it is still OK to use your phone while driving. They are:
• Reporting that your vehicle is disabled.
• Calling to report there is a disabled vehicle or accident in the road.
• Calling emergency services for the safety of the driver, passenger, or the safety of the public.
• Calling to report that medical attention is needed.
Penalties for breaking the law
Although the law goes into effect on February 23, 2020, there will be a short grace period until March 31, 2020 during which first time violators of the new law will receive warnings.
After this grace period ends, violators will be:
1. Fined $100 for their first time offense;
2. Fined $250 for the second offense;
3. $500 fine for third or subsequent offense plus an increase in insurance cost. Third time and subsequent offenders will also need to complete a mandatory educational course on preventing distracted driving. Lastly, third time offenders and subsequent offenders will be hit with an increase in their insurance premium as these occurrences will be considered “surchargeable incidents”.
Setting up Hands-free mode on your device
So the main takeaway here is that violating this law will get expensive and inconvenient fast. Now is a good time to figure out hands-free mode on your device in preparation for February 2020.
Click the button below for a brief guide explaining how to active hands-free mode for iPhone:
iPhone Hands-free Video Guide
For other phone types do a Google search for “How to activate hands free mode on (your phone name here)”. Setup for most devices is easy and usually only takes about a minute or less.
In Summary
Statistics have shown that distracted driving is dangerous and expensive. According to an April 2018 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 9 people per day die and over 1000 are injured in accidents involving distracted drivers. One in four accidents is caused by distracted driving nationally. Hopefully the new law will prevent some of those distracted driving deaths and injuries in Massachusetts and make for a better driving experience for everyone throughout the state. The bottom line: don’t do other stuff while driving – just drive!