Most Burlington Drivers Got Warnings In Year 1 Of Hands-Free Law

BURLINGTON, MA — It's been nearly one year since Massachusetts implemented the distracted driving law and state and local police departments have handed out over 30,000 tickets or warnings since the start date on Feb. 23, 2020.

In Burlington, almost all of the stops were warnings. Out of 80 reported through the end of 2020, 64 resulted in warnings. Fourteen resulted in fines, one in a criminal complaint and one in an arrest.

Under the distracted driving law, drivers aren't allowed to use cell phones while behind the wheel, not even to hold while it's on speaker. The penalty for violating the law is a $100 on the first offense with increases for each successive offense.

>>White Drivers Punished Less Under MA Distracted Driving Law

Drivers can use hands-free technology including Bluetooth, "single tap or swipe" to activate or deactivate hands-free mode, navigation technology mounted to the car's dash and phone use in emergency situations. Drivers may use their phones if they are stationary and not in an active traffic lane.

The law also outlines that police officers have to collect data on the race and sex of the people cited, as a way to ensure police are not using the law to target groups.

MassDOT provided Patch with data on traffic stops under the law between Feb. 23 and Dec. 31 showing how many people state and local police are pulling over. Statewide, data from the first 10 months of enforcement shows Black and Hispanic drivers are more likely to end up with either a fine or criminal charge.

Burlington Police mostly pulled over white drivers for distracted driving, according to the MassDOT data — 60 out of 80 stops had white drivers. Among non-white drivers pulled over by Burlington police, 85 percent received no more than a warning. Among white drivers, 78 percent received no more than a warning.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.