House and Senate elected officials have a chance to pass a solid public safety bill that would put the brakes on Massachusetts drivers using hand-held mobile electrical devices while on the road.
The bill would make it illegal to use cell-phones while driving and prohibit drivers from entering information by hand to a GPS device while behind the wheel.
Of course exceptions will be made for emergency situations. That’s a given.
Violators will be fined and following a certain amount of time (3), the offender is would be hit with an auto insurance surcharge.
First-time offenders will be hit with a $100 fine. The second time the fine is upped to $200. A third violation would carry a $300 fine, that’s when the surcharge will kick in.
Cell-phones use while driving or using other electronic devices that distract drivers is without question a public safety issue that needs to be dealt with immediately.
Drivers are responsible for what they do behind the wheel and need to pay attention at all times. Talking on a cell-phone or taking their eyes off the road is a prescription for disaster.