Massachusetts drivers may have to keep their cellphones at their sides and use headsets instead, and those under 18 will be banned from using their phones altogether while driving if legislation debated at the State House yesterday becomes a reality.
As lawmakers almost unanimously spoke in favor of the bills during the hearing, Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Hampden) said he saw the lack of opposition as indication that Massachusetts residents support the bill he first proposed in March 2006.
“If there was going to be public outcry, we would have seen it today,” said Wagner, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. “Cellphone users themselves recognize that the use of cellphones creates distractions from the primary purpose when behind the wheel.”
Wagner said though he believed drivers might find the bill inconvenient at first, the public will eventually become comfortable using hands-free devices.
Rep. John Scibak (D-Hadley), the only lawmaker to provide testimony during the hearing, said banning hand-held devices would lead to fewer car accidents.
“Certainly if you look at the rate of auto accidents, Massachusetts’s is much higher than other states,” he said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to detect that drivers are distracted. Anything we can do to reduce these distractions will dramatically reduce the frequency of auto accidents.”
Lawmakers criticizing the proposal said each individual driver should have the responsibility to maintain concentration on roadways.
“We can’t legislate common sense,” said Sen. Steven Baddour (D-Haverhill), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “It comes down to people taking control of their own destinies.”
Baddour said he opposes the blanket ban on hand-held devices in favor of promoting in-depth education for the public on the dangers of driving while distracted.
“It’s not the holding of the cellphone that causes problems,” he said. “It’s the people using it. We aren’t going to solve the problem by banning handheld cellphones – people will still be distracted because they will still be talking on the phone.”
The proposed bill met a mixed reaction from Boston University students.
“When I’m driving, I would say about 80 percent of the time I get into a dangerous situation with another driver, it’s because they are using a cellphone or doing something with their hands,” said Nicholas Farago, a junior in the College of Communication. “There are so many distractions on the road in Boston with pedestrians and construction, there is no need to add another.”
BU senior Greg Archdeacon said banning cellphones and other communication devices would not solve driving problems, however, adding that talking on the phone is just one of many distractions drivers face.
“I think they are unfairly singling out cellphones when there are already so many other distractions,” Archdeacon said. “Using a cellphone when you’re driving is no different than having people in your car.”