Councilor Proposes Ban on Texting While Driving

Story Updated 9:37AM Wednesday, January 27, 2010

– Allison Goldsberry

City Councilor Michael Marks has proposed a ban on text-messaging while driving on Medford’s roads.

Councilor Marks said he was inspired by legislation taken up in Boston and Danvers, and frustrated by inaction by the state legislature.

“The state legislature’s inaction on this issue has really bothered me…They just fell asleep at the wheel, literally,” said Marks.

Councilor Marks has proposed a $100 fine for texting while driving. The ban would apply only on Medford streets, and not state roads such as the Fellsway and Mystic Valley Parkway.

Marks said the city should pass its own ban and he hopes the state legislature will follow suit. He said nineteen states, including New Hampshire, currently ban texting behind the wheel.

Councilor Marks said sobering statistics found on distraction.gov, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website about the dangers of distracted driving, also convinced him to take action.

He acknowledged there are many different kinds of distracted driving in addition to texting, such as cell phone use, eating, and even applying make-up while behind the wheel.

“Now it seems like if you’re not doing something else while driving, it’s not the norm,” said Councilor Marks.

Marks said the City Council passed his resolution unanimously, 6-0 (Councilor Paul Camuso was absent). It will be discussed in a Council Meeting of the Whole sometime in the near future.

Before the meeting Marks said he hoped his resolution would be referred to subcommittee so a hearing can be held and legislation eventually crafted, with input from the city solicitor and police chief.

Below is Marks’ resolution, which will be up for discussion during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Whereas driver distraction could present a serious and potentially deadly danger on Medford streets and

Whereas according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported and

Whereas one in four of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving and half of all teens say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel and

Whereas recent research indicates that texting while driving involves a convergence of visual, manual and cognitive distractions and represents an even greater risk than talking on the cell phone than

Be it resolved that the City of Medford adopt an ordinance similar to the following ordinance that is presently being considered by the Town of Danvers which imposes a fine on persons who send text messages while operating a motor vehicle and further that a fine be imposed.

“No person shall type, text or read from a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle. Any person operating a motor vehicle while typing, texting or reading from a wireless communication device is subject to a $100.00 fine”

Be it further resolved that the City Solicitor review this language and report back to this Council as to language that he feels is appropriate to include such a measure in our revised ordinances.

Further, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Chief of Police with a request that he report back to the Council on his recommendations on this proposed ordinance.