Cell phone driving penalties are real (Editorial) - MassLive.com

Notice to Massachusetts motorists: the law requiring drivers to stay off their handheld phones is real. It is no longer theory. It’s happening and will be actively enforced.

This will require motorists to break years of habit. It will be too easy for some to convince themselves that they’re the exception, that deviating one time makes it OK, and the age-old thought process of offenders: “what’s the likelihood I’ll get caught?”

The law taking effect Sunday, Feb. 23 cannot be disputed logically. Driving while talking on a handheld phone is distracted driving. The person behind the wheel is tying up not just attention, but one hand.

It’s become so routine that many drivers see no problem with it. To them, it’s not the same as texting. But it’s still a distraction, it’s still dangerous, and now it will be illegal.

A first offense will bring a $100 fine. The cost goes up to $250 for a second offense and $500 plus auto insurance penalties for a third. Repeat offenders will also be required to take a distracted driving course.

That’s more than fair. Drivers who repeatedly abuse the law are making a statement they just don’t care. They’re asking to get socked with penalties.

Hands-free technology is available that allows drivers to talk on the phone without use of their hands. That practice is still legal. But there’s another way to look at this safety issue: how important is it, usually, to conduct phone conversations while driving at all?

Society has changed since the bygone days when mobile phones were used by only a select few - or going back further, not at all. But even today, most conversations can wait. It’s rarely about urgency, only convenience in a multi-tasking age.

Past enforcement was difficult because police could not always identify whether a driver was texting illegally or making a legal call. Now, it’s all illegal.

Data on the types of drivers ticketed will be kept, to ensure that the law is enforced evenhandedly.

This law will require a change of habit for thousands of drivers, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine deaths and 1,000 injuries a day were caused by distracted driving in 2018. Not all them were due to texting.

Don’t look for excuses, exceptions or rationalizations. Driving while on a handheld phone is not safe and not worth it. Voice mail will still be there, when the car is parked and off the road.

2020-02-22 14:02:00Z
https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2020/02/cell-phone-driving-penalties-are-real-editorial.html