Distracted & Drugged Driving

Distracted driving involves any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from the primary task of driving and can lead to serious injury and death. Teens are particularly susceptible to distractions while behind the wheel. Don’t let you or your teen become a statistic. Here are the facts:

• In Massachusetts, it is illegal to hold a mobile device while driving. For details on the law, visit Mass.Gov/HandsFree.
• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Mile for mile, teens aged 16–19 are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. And one in three teens who text say they have done so while driving.
• According to NHTSA, 3,522 people were killed in 2021 in distraction-related crashes nationwide, with teens having the highest rate of distracted driving crashes involving a fatality.
• A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study revealed that physically dialing a phone while driving increases the risk of a crash as much as 6 times. Texting is riskier still, increasing collision risk by 23 times.

To combat this growing epidemic, we suggest the following:

• Set a good example: Kids observe and learn from their parents. Put your phone away while driving and only use it when you are safely pulled over. According to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of young adults, aged 12 to 17 say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves and others in danger.
• Talk to your teen: Discuss the risks and responsibilities of driving and the danger of dividing their attention between a phone and the road. Show them the statistics related to distracted driving and urge them to share what they learn with their friends. Encourage them to speak up if they are a passenger in a car with a distracted driver.
• Establish ground rules: Set up family rules about not using the phone or other electronic devices while behind the wheel. Enforce the limits set by the graduated driver licensing program (GDL).
• Sign a pledge: Have your teen agree to a family contract about wearing safety belts, not speeding, avoiding all drugs and alcohol, and not using a cell phone while driving. Agree on penalties for violating the pledge while driving.

Other dangerous distractions: Distracted driving includes eating, grooming, drinking, using cell phones, using GPS, talking to passengers, or watching a video, just to name a few activities. Inexperienced drivers are particularly susceptible to these kinds of distractions. Wearing both earbuds while driving is dangerous and illegal. One earbud is allowed, but not both.

Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe:

Laws for operating under the influence of alcohol also apply to drugs. Almost any drug can affect your driving skills. Illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter medicines can impair driving. Smoking or consuming marijuana can negatively impact your ability to safely control a vehicle. This makes you dangerous as a driver because it slows your reaction time and impairs your judgment. The most serious problems occur when facing an unexpected event, such as a car coming from a side street or a child running out from between parked cars. These problems get worse after dark, because marijuana also causes decreased visibility at night.

Massachusetts law decriminalized certain aspects of possession and/or use of marijuana. However, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana is illegal and is a criminal offense.

• It is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana.
• It is illegal to use marijuana under the age of 21.
• Combining marijuana and alcohol, even in small doses, greatly increases the risk of crashing.

If you plan to drive, be smart and don’t drink or take drugs of any kind.