MA Hands-Free Law One Year Later: Westford Statistics

WESTFORD, MA — Police across Massachusetts have handed out more than 30,000 tickets and written warnings under the state's new distracted driving law, which went into effect on Feb. 23 last year.

The law bans drivers from using cell phones, including texting and holding a phone to talk, except for quick taps for GPS. This week, 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, including in Westford.

Westford police pulled over 41 drivers and gave them written citations, according to the data. State police issued another 21 citations in town. Across the border in Chelmsford, meanwhile, state and local police pulled over 193 people and handed them written citations.

The lower than expected citations tracked with most police departments, cautious about catching and spreading the coronavirus amid a pandemic.

The Lowell police department issued the most citations this past year: 1,506.

The new law requires the state to capture data on the race and sex of each person police stop under the law as a way to ensure police are not using the law to target certain groups.

Twenty other states and Washington, D.C., had handheld bans that extend beyond texting, at the time Massachusetts enacted its on Feb. 23. The commonwealth held off on the ban because of concerns about racial profiling.

Most of the drivers cited in Westford were white and about 52 percent were men. Of the 62 drivers given citations in town, six identified as Hispanic, four identified as Black, two as Asian and one as middle eastern.

Drivers can face anywhere from $100 to $500 fines for violating the ban.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving was blamed for killing 2,841 people in 2018 alone.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how