The Worcester Police Department announced on Tuesday, September 28, that the one-month moratorium on ticketing for distracted driving in the City is over.
The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, the Worcester Police Department, the Worcester Public Schools and the Safe Roads Alliance relaunched he “Eyes Up Phones Down” campaign in August. The public safety awareness campaign intended to be an educational effort where police officers offered reminders to drivers and pedestrians about the Hands-Free Law and the dangers of distracted driving rather than issue tickets.
According to the Worcester Police Department, its officers educated over 400 drivers in violation of the law during the campaign. Officers reported many violators were using GPS while driving and lacked awareness the law requires the device affixed to the dashboard, center console or windshield. Under the law, drivers can no longer manually enter a number or program a GPS while driving. Drivers under the age of 18 are not permitted to use any electronic device while driving.
Under the law, first offense violations of the law come with a $100 fine, a second offense is a $250 penalty and the driver must take a distracted driving course, and subsequent violations are $500 each which is surchargeable to your insurance.
The Safe Road Alliance offers the following tips to comply with distracted driving laws:
- Program your GPS before you drive
- Call and text anyone before you depart to let them know you will be driving and won’t be using your phone
- If you have an iPhone, go into settings and enable “do not disturb” while driving.
- If you have an android, download the “DriveMode” app. These features will silence incoming calls and texts and will send an automatic response to let people know you are driving.
