Hands-free advocate: Beacon Hill is not taking this issue seriously

BOSTON — Safe driving advocates in Massachusetts are pushing for a 'hands-free' law for drivers.

But, once again, time is running out this legislative session.

Massachusetts and Maine are now the only New England states without a hand-free law on the books and proponents say going hands-free will save lives.

“You realize how much can happen in a second,” Emily Stein, President of the Safe Roads Alliance, said.

For Stein, news that changed her life came over a phone call.

“My dad had got hit by a car,” she explained.

Her father had stopped along an Acton Road to secure a load on his truck in 2011.

Stein says a young driver looked down to program her GPS and she went off the road.

Ever since then, Stein has fought to make Massachusetts a 'hands-free' state and cutting down on distracted driving.

“If your eyes are not on the road, if your mind is not on the road, you’re not driving,” she said. “The legislature has not taken this issue seriously.”

MORE: Push to crack down on texting and driving heats up in Mass.

For years, hands-free bills have gone nowhere in the legislature.

The latest are stuck in the house ways and means committee.

The chair of the committee, Representative Jeffrey Sanchez (D – Jamaica Plain) declined our request for an interview.

His office sent a statement saying, “S2103 is currently under review by members of the house ways and means committee. As has been highlighted in recent articles, there are concerns over how the legislation may disproportionately affect communities of color.”

But Senate Bill 2103 calls for data collection on 'hands-free' traffic stops.

Officers would have to log the reason for the stop, the race, ethnicity, gender and age of the driver and whether they spoke limited English.

“… reason for the stop; (ii) date, time, duration and street address or approximate location of the stop; (iii) race, ethnicity, gender, approximate age of the driver and whether the driver has limited English proficiency…”

“The inaction of the legislature is going to be responsible for more deaths on our road if they do not pass this bill,” said Stein.

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Cox Media Group