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

WOBURN, 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 Woburn, almost all of the stops were warnings. According to MassDOT data, out of 316 stops reported through Dec. 31 by Woburn police, 293 were warnings.

The department also issued 21 fines and brought criminal charges in two cases.

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

Woburn police Chief Robert Rufo said he had not seen any change in driver behavior in the law's first year in effect.

"I think it would be incumbent on the state to start releasing some sort of public safety messages to reinforce it," Rufo said. "We're coming out of this dilemma we've been in for the last year. There is an increase in people driving, there will be an increase in the number of people cited for it."

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.

"We will be looking for distracted driving, and it will be enforced," Rufo said.

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.

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