Gov. Charlie Baker ushered in a new era of road rules on Monday, signing into law a new ban on practically all forms of handheld cellphone use by drivers. For well over a decade, some lawmakers have sought to crack down on the use of cellphones by drivers, and Rep. Joseph Wagner of Chicopee, the […]
racial profiling
Posted inTransportation
Concerns on police bias linger after distracted driving vote
OVERWHELMING VOTES IN the House and Senate to enact driver safety legislation belie enduring disagreements within the Legislature over how best to monitor and tamp down racial bias by police. The bill that was sent to Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday is now virtually guaranteed to become law, but the legislation was formed in an […]
Posted inTransportation
House to vote on distracted driving bill Tuesday
IN THE FINAL days of major lawmaking before the winter break, the Massachusetts House and Senate are poised to send the governor legislation to ban drivers from handheld cellphone use. The bill has sought to balance the goal of stricter traffic laws to curb a road hazard that has led to deaths in Massachusetts with […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawmakers hear support and concern for road safety bills
DISTRACTED DRIVING HAS become an “epidemic,” Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack told lawmakers on Thursday, pushing for a policy package that she said would make motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians safer. Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill would allow police to pull over drivers for failing to wear a seat belt, ban handheld phone use by drivers, and provide […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Dialing up the road safety debate
ROOTED IN ONE of the most abominable facets of the nation’s past, racial profiling remains a risk today for drivers of color. At the same time, the havoc caused by motorists distracted by smartphones, a triumph of ingenuity and engineering, presents a uniquely modern hazard on streets and highways. Efforts to grapple with those two […]