State and local laws can help reduce drivers’ use of handheld devices, according to a June 4, 2015 op-ed in the Boston Globe by Jay Winsten, Frank Stanton Director of the Center for Health Communication and associate dean for health communication at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Current laws restricting the use of handheld devices are “woefully inadequate,” Winsten wrote. Massachusetts currently bans their use for texting while driving but permits other uses—including entering GPS coordinates or making phone calls—making it difficult for police to cite drivers for violations. The Massachusetts Legislature could either strengthen the enforceability of the current ban or adopt an outright ban on the use of handheld devices while driving, as 14 other states have already done, Winsten wrote.
“There will be continued carnage on our roadways unless we succeed at promoting a social norm that stigmatizes distracted driving,” Winsten wrote. “State and local laws can’t solve this problem alone, but they have a key role to play.”
Read Boston Globe op-ed: Keep your hands on the wheel, not a device
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