Boston Injury Lawyer Blog
Even though texting while driving has been banned in Massachusetts, this doesn’t mean that people are not engaging in distracted driving habits that are just as risky albeit legal. A Boston Globe article today reports on just this trend from the results of an operation carried out this month by police officers in West Bridgewater who were looking for drivers that were interacting with their cell phones while operating their vehicles.
51 motorists were pulled over for texting while driving. 37 of these people were given warnings or $100 citations. However, 14 were let go because, according to them, they weren’t actually texting but, rather, they were looking at directions or dialing the phone to make a call. Both activities are distractions, but both are legal to do on the road. Still, they can cause Boston car accidents.
Such distinctions between what is legal and what isn’t among distracted driving habits can make it tough for police to determine who is actually breaking the law by texting while driving and who is just getting ready to make a phone call or using their device as a map.
Also, there is no ban on handheld cell phone calls while driving in Massachusetts.
According to The Boston Globe, the state’s texting ban doesn’t seem to be causing a reduction in the amount of people who text while driving. There were more citations for texting issued to drivers during the first nine months of 2012-1,278-than in 2011-860 citations.
Distracted Driving
Whether legal or not, any behavior that distracts a motorist from operating a vehicle safely ups the risk of a Boston motor vehicle accident from happening. Serious injuries, including Massachusetts traumatic brain injury and wrongful death , can happen because someone was texting, talking on the cell phone, issuing a Facebook update, posting a Twitter update, or reading directions on their phone.
If you believe that you were the victim of distracted driving, please contact our Boston injury law firm today.
As West Bridgewater cracks down on texting while driving, police discuss challenges of enforcement, Boston.com, January 14, 2013
Cell Phone and Texting Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association
Distracted Driving, National Safety Council
More Blog Posts:
Woman Passes Away Following Gloucester, MA Car Crash, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, December 19, 2012
MA Judge Allows Lawsuit to Move Forward on Gillette Stadium Fatal Crash, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, December 14, 2012
CDC Reports 4.2% of Adult Motorists Doze Off While Driving, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 4, 2013
