On November 25 2019, Governor Charlie Baker passed a law regarding hand-held phones, banning the usage of hand-held phones in moving motor vehicles. Currently, there is a law that states drivers can still hold their phones to talk, however this has now been changed. The no texting law has been a secondary offense law meaning that someone would have to be first pulled over for another driving offense, then fined for texting. As a result of this recent law, drivers can no longer hold a phone in their hand while driving while the vehicle is moving. Hand-held phone usage has now been classified as a primary offense, making it a top priority and results in a serious fine. The law was passed in hopes to decrease the amount of car accidents that occur yearly. Charlie Baker claims “this law was far overdue”, Massachusetts is the last state northeast of Pennsylvania without a law regarding hand-held phone usage in moving vehicles. From now on citizens in Massachusetts are only allowed to use devices in a hands free manner, either connected to bluetooth or propped up on some form of stand. If this law is disregarded or not followed the driver may receive a fine of $100 to $500, due to the lack of care for safety. However, there is a process to implement the law, no police officers are allowed to fine or charge anyone until March 31 2020, granting drivers the ability to familiarize themselves with the ban. This law is one step closer to providing better safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and the roads in general. This law has caused a large controversy, and resulted in a disagreement between citizens regarding gender and race, some believe that certain races are favored under the new law, and are less likely to receive fines than others. If you want to further educate yourself on this topic click this link for more information Hands Free Law in Massachusetts.
Discussion Questions:
How do you feel about the hands free law?
Do you think it will reduce the amount of accidents that occur yearly?
Why do you think Massachusetts was the last state to pass a law regarding phone usage? And how does this relate to the race, and gender prejudice in our country?
If you were able to drive how prominent do you think your phone would be when your vehicle is moving?
1. In my opinion, this law could be very beneficial for drivers, and will improve safety for everyone on the roads. However, in 2019, drivers are often addicted to their phones. So, although this could improve people's safety, I believe there is a high possibility that the law will be disregarded, and people's safety will continue to be in danger while they're in use of technology.
ReplyDelete2. As I mentioned before, I don't think this law will be followed to the extent the government is hoping for. So the amount of accidents that occur will ultimately be based upon if pedestrians chose to abide by the law.
3. Massachusetts was the last state to implement this law because race and gender prejudices are so widely spread in the state. Due to protests this law halted, taking gender and race inequalities into account before passing the law.
4. For me, I think that because phone addiction in our generation has evolved significantly it would be challenging to prevent myself from phone usage. However, bluetooth is becoming something common in cars, so it would be easier to stop myself from it.
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ReplyDeleteI feel that the hands-free law will be an overall benefit despite some downsides. The hands-free law is an improvement to safety while driving as there will be fewer drivers causing accidents from phone distractions. On the other hand, people who own cars without cellphone Bluetooth are highly susceptible to tickets. It would be unfair for a person without Bluetooth to get a citation when they are calling their family members. The hands-free law still outweighs the downside of not having Bluetooth as the law would “do more to prevent further injuries and horrible tragedies”(Klipa). Overall, I feel the hands-free law is constructive to prevent road crashes, and hopefully, all cars can have devices in which people can talk on the phone without using their hands in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe hands-free law will reduce the number of accidents annually as people would be less distracted by their devices. I respectfully disagree with Claire’s opinion that the law will be disregarded. I disagree because people will fear the penalty of phone usage. Also, If a driver caused an accident while they were using their phone, they would have leverage against them in court over the potential lawsuit. For instance, if a driver was hit by another driver using a phone and they were injured, the person could use the other person’s phone usage as leverage to get them to pay for their medical bills. Overall, the hands-free law would limit accidents because drivers would take into consideration more factors than getting a ticket when they pick up the phone.
Massachusetts was the last state to pass the hand free law as they took into consideration the downsides, such as racial discrimination and no Bluetooth. Massachusetts may have delayed the passing of the hands-free law as they feared the law would lead to the mistreatment of African Americans by Police officers. To solve this problem, all Police officers should be equipped with video cameras and microphones on their uniforms. The video cameras would support the safety of the police officer as well as the person receiving the ticket.
If I were a driver, I would commit only to use my phone for directional purposes. I am not attached to my phone as much because I don’t have social media. If I did have an addiction, I would put my phone on silent mode and try to keep it away from me.
1. I believe that the hands free law will work very well to prevent cellphone related car accidents. The law will make the roads safer because people will not be prone to use their phones while driving. I agree with Rhys that a downside to the law is that people without bluetooth will be more prone to getting tickets. For the most part I believe that the Law will help prevent accidents due to cellphones.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the law will reduce the amount of car accidents per year. I agree with Rhys that people will follow the law due to the penalty of using your phone while driving. As it said in the article, "Punishment for violators includes a $100 fine for first offenses, a $250 fine for second offenses, and a $500 fine for any offenses after that," which is a lot of money to pay for something very avoidable.
3. Massachusetts was the last state to pass the law because of the amount of racial and gender prejudices in the state. Massachusetts probably waited to pass the law because they might have thought that the law would be unfair towards black people and result in them getting pulled over more which wouldn't be a good thing.
4. If I was able to drive I would only use my phone for things like GPS and Ways which I wouldn't need to look at. While driving if I was getting notifications I wouldn't feel the urge to look down at my phone until the car stopped moving.
1. I believe the hands free law is a good way of attempting to lower the number of car crashes, but won't be taken as seriously as it was meant to be taken. People these days are addicted to their phones and I don't think they will worry too much about getting caught since its not realistic for police officers to check what every single driver on the road is doing.
ReplyDelete2. No, like I said, I think it won't be taken as seriously as lawmakers intended it to be. Some people will still use them and will probably be the reason the number of car crashes doesn't get any better. People who do follow this law will help themselves stay safe but they still drive with people who don't care if they can or can't holding their phones.
3. Massachusetts was the last state to pass this law because, like everyone has been saying, race and gender prejudices are widely spread here. There have been many times officers have abused their power and acted unfair towards certain colored people. I don't think it's something our state wanted to deal with anymore. This could give those type of officers to continue with their behavior.
4. If I was able to drive I would use bluetooth. Getting fined for holding my phone is something that can easily be avoided, if I didn't have access to bluetooth I would just put my phone on silent.
1. The hands free law is a good idea, as driving distracted by the use of cellphones is dangerous. It will also most likely decrease the number of driving accidents in Massachusetts, which is an inherently positive effect. Conversely, the law does not come without its downsides, and one of those is the potential possibility of racial or gender profiling. The reason Massachusetts took a longer time than many other states to pass the law was due to data which found that people of color were more likely to be pulled over by the police. According to the article, “any department found to have engaged in racial or gender profiling will be required to undergo implicit bias training,” so this potential issue will hopefully be prevented. However, if racial profiling becomes an issue due to the implementation of this law, I think lawmakers of Massachusetts may have to reconsider their decision or choose to monitor police officers more closely.
ReplyDelete2. I think the law will reduce the amount of accidents which occur yearly. I’ve noticed many drivers in other cars using their phones while behind the wheel and stuck at a light, for example. That type of behavior is hugely dangerous, and once it is eliminated, the risk for injury will be decreased.
3. Massachusetts was the last state to implement a hands-free driving law due to the potential racial and gender profiling risk. There have been many instances around the United States of police officers unfairly pulling over, targeting, or even shooting people of color, which is why Massachusetts lawmakers took caution with passing yet another law giving police officers that opportunity. As I said in #1, lawmakers have already taken precaution to prevent this from happening, but if continues to happen, more steps should be taken. I agree with Rhys that police officers should wear body cameras in order to monitor their behavior and ensure they are not engaging in racial or gender profiling.
4. If I were able to drive, I would probably use Bluetooth to connect my phone to my car and use CarPlay. This way, I wouldn’t need to use my phone and I would be able to use a safe interface which is made for use in cars. However, I do not think I would use the interface while driving too much in the first place, as I would probably focus on driving the most. I would be worried about my own safety if I were constantly interacting with a touch screen while behind the wheel.
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about the hands free law? 1) I believe that while the hands-free law is unfair to people that do not have Bluetooth, as Rhys said, I do believe that it will lower the number of crashes due to phones. While the ban won’t completely eliminate people from using their phones while driving I think that it will force people to hold them less because they are afraid of a fine.
Do you think it will reduce the amount of accidents that occur yearly? 2) Yes, I do believe that the ban will lower the amount of accidents due to phones yearly. As I stated earlier I believe that the ban won’t completely eliminate phone usage, but, as Rhys said, people will have to take into account more than a ticket when they pick up their phone which I believe will discourage some users.
Why do you think Massachusetts was the last state to pass a law regarding phone usage? And how does this relate to the race, and gender prejudice in our country?
3) I think that Massachusetts was one of the last states to implement this law because we stopped to see the prejudices that would be taken into account. As nick said, they thought that the law would lead to more people of color being arrested.
If you were able to drive how prominent do you think your phone would be when your vehicle is moving? 4)I think that phones have become a big part of our society today but while I am driving I would but my phone on silent and use Bluetooth for directional purposes. Also if it was necessary to contact someone immediately I could ask somebody else in the car or use Siri if need be.
1. I think this law is overall a good law for the fact that there won't be as many crashes relating phones. The roads will generally be safer. As Rhys said though, not everyone has bluetooth in their car, so really this law is just built to prevent crashes. It doesn't really keep these other people who need to use their phones in mind.
ReplyDelete2. I think that this will for sure reduce the amount of accidents annually. The law is taking away a leading distraction to crashes, and people will also probably fear the fine. So it will get a lot of people off their phones.
3. I think that Massachusetts was the last state to pass the law because they didn't want to create another scenario where cops could potentially be unfair to African-Americans. They didn't want to have something else that can lead to more African-Americans being arrested.
4. While I'm driving I would use bluetooth if I had access to it, and I would use an app like waze for a gps. If I didn't have bluetooth I'd put my phone on silent.
1. I feel very strongly about the hands free law because it will keep so many more people safe and it can make the state a better place. So many people are getting injured from people not paying attention or being on a cell phone. All though cell phone use isn't the only problem of distracted drivers, it plays a big part. Just like the juul ban, it will not completely stop people from doing this dangerous act, but it will help tremendously lower the rate of car accidents. Also, many phones have access to Siri or another source of bluetooth, so people need to start to use that.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Kate when she says it will lower the amount of accidents that occur yearly. As I started earlier in question 1, it will not completely get rid of cell phone use while traveling, but it will lower it a lot. Most people will know now that they can get fined if they get caught using it. As I go to and from school each day, I see many people using it and not thinking about the things that could happen if they continue.
3. I think Massachusetts was the last state to pass this law because it is a very wide spread of race state and gender prejudices. I say this because they may have thought that it would have a bigger affect and problem on black and African-American drivers. They may think that they are getting targeted more than white people and it could also cause problems between colored officers.
4. My phone would be important when I'm driving, but not important enough to get me in an accident. I would use it for navigation, but other than that I don't want myself to be caught texting and result in a serious accident. I would be very mad at myself if I were to hurt someone innocent for my actions.
1. I feel that this is a good law as it will prevent crashes and make the roads a lot safer. Cell phones cause a large distraction that is very dangerous when driving. Making holding a phone while driving a primary offense makes the roads safer because police can pull someone over for having their phone out, even if they are driving properly otherwise.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the hands free law will reduce the number of accidents that occur yearly. Many accidents occur because drivers are distracted, and by removing one major distraction, accidents are less likely to happen, and the roads become safer.
3. I agree with Shane that Massachusetts was the last state in New England to implement these laws because of a concern about racial and gender profiling. There have been times when police have unjustifiably targeted a person of color, where they wouldn’t do the same for a white person. Lawmakers in Massachusetts were cautious about adding this law because it could lead to more inequality.
4. If I were able to drive I don’t think that my phone would be very prominent while my vehicle was moving. Many newer cars have built-in GPS navigation, and through Bluetooth and voice to text features you can use other functions of your phone such as texting and calling.
1. The law is a great addition to society. No matter how good you are at driving, or anything for that matter, distractions will degrade your performance. It is a great idea, but it would be super useful if it could be implemented a bit sooner. It will reduce the number of accidents, and there's no way to say that that's a negative effect.
ReplyDelete2. The hands free law will definitely reduce the number of yearly car accidents drastically because there will be far less careless driving. However, I agree with Julio in that it might not be taken as seriously as it should. Throughout history, there have always been people who break the law, and that's not going to change anytime soon.
3. Race and gender prejudices play a large role in why Massachusetts was the last state to implement the hands free law. They were worried that these prejudices would play a large part in the amount of tickets given to certain peoples.
4. My phone would be somewhat prominent while I am driving due to the fact that I would rely on it for directions. However, I would not be on social media or such things simply because I value my own safety too much.
1. I think that Charlie Baker made the right decision making the hands free law. Even with cars like Teslas which don't require hands on the highway, cel phones still serve as a distraction to all drivers on the road no matter what. This law wouldn't make life inconvenient on the road as well since it only applies to when you're holding a phone so bluetooth is still legal.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Nikki that this law will most definitely reduce the amount of accidents on the road. Cell phones actually cause more deaths than sharks which shows how dangerous it is especially on the road. If the police are doing their jobs by enforcing these laws, I am confident the casualties will decrease tremendously.
3. Massachusetts may have been the last the last state to make the hands free law because the state was afraid it would raise complaints about police stereotyping mostly women. Because the female stereotype type is supposed spend more amount of time on their phones, people could raise complaints in that area.
4. I think that no matter where I am, my phone is always very important incase of an emergency, however, I don't always have to directly interact with it. If I was in a car and my family called me for an urgent reason, I could answer it and talk to them through bluetooth.
1. I agree with Paul I also think that Charlie Bakers idea of implementing this law is a good one. I believe this law will force people to have more control when they are driving, thus creating less accidents. It doesn't matter how good you are at driving, accidents happen, and this is just one way to lesson the chance of something that can cost a life. Most cars also have bluetooth so there are not a lot of cut backs you would have to make.
ReplyDelete2. I do think this new law will lower the amount of accidents that happen in a year, but like some other laws it is impossible to regulate everybody. In my opinion, the way this law is going to work on most people is as a scare tactic because the charge is being bumped up to primary. Even though this is true even if you still do break the law chances are you won't get caught, so it won't drastically change the number of crashes.
3. I think that Massachusetts was the last to pass the law because of issues with race and the downsides of the plan. Sophia wrote that many people are worried that the police calling people out could be influenced a lot by race. In this country and in Massachusetts race and prejudice sadly affects many peoples decisions, so I think we were right in being slow to apply this controversial law.
4. It is easy to say that I would just put it away and not think about it, but that is not the reality. We are growing up in a generation that is addicted to phones, so it is a lot harder to just not slip under the law than we say. I understand the consequences of making a mistake on the road so I think that cause of the evolving technology I could just use bluetooth if it was urgent.
I think that the hands-free law will reduce the number of accidents on the road, as people will be off their phones and completely aware of what is happening. However, a problem is that many people probably won’t follow this rule, as people need their phones to communicate. It is unlikely that they are going to be caught breaking this rule, so they are probably going to disregard it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claire that although this law will reduce the number of accidents, it won’t decrease the number that significantly. As said earlier, many people are likely to disregard this law, so the number of accidents won’t change by much. Even if there is now a fine for using your phone while driving, many people don’t have access to Bluetooth and need to communicate with others while driving.
Massachusetts was the last state to implement this law as they took prejudice and discrimination into mind as they thought about the law. They feared that this law would make it easier for police to pull over minorities without real evidence that they did anything wrong.
If I could drive, I wouldn’t think that my phone is very important. I think the only thing I would use it for is GPS or some sort of music platform. I would put my phone on do not disturb mode, so I wouldn’t get distracted while driving. Also, many cars are being made with a Bluetooth option available, which makes it easier for drivers to be hands-free.
1. I believed that this was a smart law to make because many accidents are caused by people being on their phones and not aware of the road. This new law should prevent many accidents to happen. I agree with Graham when he said that drivers should be more aware of the road now. I believe that this law will still be broken often though because the no texting while driving law was also broken very often.
ReplyDelete2. I think that it will reduce the number of accidents by a bit but not that many because many people are still going to use their phones while driving. I agree with Liam when he said that it’s impossible to regulate everyone. Not everyone is going to follow this rule but some people will which will prevent some accidents.
3. I believe that Massachusetts was the last state to implement this law because this will give the police more reasons to pull over minorities. I believe that is why Massachusetts was the last state to implement this law.
4. I don’t think my phone would be that prominent because, in modern cars, you can answer phone calls directly from the steering wheel which takes away any need to use your phone. The only reason I would need my phone for anything would probably be for a GPS.