House and Senate leaders vote to recommend two bills that address statewide distracted driving.
State legislature moves one step closer to passing statewide distracted driving law in Massachusetts.
Two hands-free mobile device bills, '
An Act requiring the hands-free use of mobile telephones while driving' (H 3149)
and '
An Act relative to hands-free cell phone devices' (S 2057),
were advanced by the Joint Committee on Transportation on April 10th, bringing the Legislature one step closer to passing statewide distracted-driving laws that will keep Massachusetts drivers, bikers, and pedestrians safe on the roads. Sixteen of the committee's 20 members, including co-chairs Rep. William Straus and Sen. Joseph Boncore, voted to recommend the bills.
Current Massachusetts law prohibits sending or receiving text messages while driving, and these bills will expand this to restrict all non-hands-free cell phone use, including phone calls and the use of other mobile apps. Such laws are already in effect across New England, with only Massachusetts and Maine lagging behind on these life-saving measures.
"We are encouraged by leadership in the Massachusetts State Legislature, including Rep. Straus and Sen. Boncore, and hopeful Hands-free will become a law in 2019 to save lives in the Commonwealth," says Richard Levitan, President of TextLess Live More, who lost his eldest daughter Merritt Levitan to a distracted driver in 2013.
This advancement is encouraging news for Hands-Free Massachusetts! Stay tuned for updates as the bills continue to the joint committee on transportation.
Merritt Levitan, an 18 year old killed by a distracted driver in July 2013.
TextLess Live More was founded in her honor by her high school peers in Milton, Massachusetts. TextLess Live More's mission is to end distracted driving, and save lives and prevent crashes caused by distracted driving. TextLess Live More is a national partner of SADD, Students Against Distracted Driving.
