Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
The day is finally here for a storyline our Boston car accident lawyers have been following for months on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer blog. As of Sept. 30, the Massachusetts Safe Driving Act – which forbids texting while driving for adult drivers and bans completely the use of cell phones while behind the wheel for 16- and 17-year-old drivers – goes into effect, the Boston Globe reports.
Under the new law, adults caught texting for the first time will face up to $135 in fines. For drivers under the age of 18 caught using a handheld or handless electronic device, first time offenders will earn a 60-day license suspension, a $100 fine and be required to attend a driver education course. For a second offense, young drivers will lose their license for 180 days and face a $250 fine.
But for a generation raised on cell phones, accustomed to sending 50 to 200 texts a day and responsible for logging billions of minutes chatting on their phones each year, are the penalties stiff enough to lead to behavior change? Experts and safe driving advocates simply say, no. Rather, it is how mom and dad adapt to and adopt the new law that will determine how a kid acts behind the wheel.
After tracking the exploding numbers of cell phone and texting-related serious and fatal car accidents nationwide since 2005, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has hosted a series of annual meetings to combat what he calls “an epidemic of distracted driving in America.”
On Sept. 21, his agency sponsored a day-long national Distracted Driving Summit in Washington D.C. with one goal in mind: “With the help of experts, policymakers, and safety advocates we’ve assembled here, we are going to do everything we can to put an end to distracted driving and save lives.”
As Massachusetts becomes the 30th state to implement a law limiting the use of mobile electronic devices while behind the wheel, it appears that many state lawmakers and voters stand behind him in this effort.
Boston car accident attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, LLC, have more than 18 years experience handling serious and fatal traffic accident cases and representing those injured or killed in a Massachusetts car accident. If you have been injured or someone you love has been injured or killed in a Boston-area car accident, talking with an experienced attorney can help you better understand your rights. To schedule a free initial consultation, contact us online or call our offices at (617) 777-7777.