Doing This on Any Massachusetts Road Could Cost You $500

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you're probably seeing more traffic on the roads throughout Berkshire County and Massachusetts in general. Of course with more folks out and about, the better the chances are of accidents occurring.

One Massachusetts law that will be coming up on its two-year anniversary this February is the Hands-Free While Driving or the Hands-Free Law. Even with this law being in place for as long as it has, I'll occasionally see folks in front of me on the road or at a stoplight on their mobile devices. Sure, it's definitely tempting to squeeze in that quick text response, but I find that if there is something really pressing that needs my attention away from the road, I'll pull over to a safe stop-off and respond to my text, that way I'm not putting myself or anyone else in danger. Other times, I'll just shut my phone off while driving.

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What are the penalties if one doesn't follow the Massachusetts Hands-Free Law?

As a refresher, according to mass.gov, here's what you can expect if you get caught violating the Massachusetts Hand-Free Law

1st offense – $100 fine.
2nd offense – $250 fine, plus mandatory completion of a distracted driving educational program.
3rd and subsequent offenses – $500 fine, plus insurance surcharge and mandatory completion of distracted driving educational program.

While a majority of penalties thus far have been warnings issued to people who ignored the Massachusetts Hands-Free Law, is it really worth taking the risk?

There are additional details and rules about the Massachusetts Hands-Free Law that you can view by going here. While you're out on the roads in Massachusetts this holiday season, drive safe.

While we're talking about driving, have you cruised on any of these popular roads?