Cambridge Police Department to Participate in Statewide Texting Enforcement Crackdown

Cambridge Police will join the 191 eligible Massachusetts law enforcement agencies in the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. mobilization to crack down on motorists who text while driving.  The campaign, which combines traditional and innovative enforcement strategies, is funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD) from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).  The mobilization began April 10, 2015 and continues through May 1, 2015. 

Texting while driving was outlawed in Massachusetts effective September 30, 2010.  Adult drivers who write, send, or read electronic messages or browse the Internet while driving face a $100 fine for a first offense – even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic.  Juvenile operators are entirely prohibited from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, including to make phone calls.  The fine for a juvenile first offense is $100 and includes a 60 day license suspension and required completion of a driver attitudinal course. 

These costly violations underscore the danger inherent in the use of electronic devices while driving.  Nationally in 2013, there were 3,154 people killed and an estimated 424,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes involv­ing distracted drivers.  

According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s 2012 “Teen Driver Distraction Study,” 25% of teens respond to a text message at least once every time they drive.  20% of teens and 10% of parents admit that they have multi-message text conversations while driving.