Hopkinton Police Warn: Distracted Driving Is Dangerous Driving

HOPKINTON, MA — Hopkinton police want drivers to keep their eyes on the road and not on their phones. The department announced on Friday how many crashes they responded to throughout November to highlight the importance of ending distracted driving.

In one month, Hopkinton police said they responded to 15 crashes. Of those crashes, police said nine were rear-end collisions. In a post on Facebook, the department said, "Almost all rear-end crashes can be attributed to inattention — the cause is usually an electronic device."

The department warned drivers that distracted driving was not only dangerous but on the rise.

The state legislature passed a distracted driving bill last month. Under the bill, motorists would still be able to use popular GPS navigation apps as long as they were on hands-free mode and mounted to the windshield, dashboard or center console. Law enforcement officials will issue warnings to drivers for first offenses during a three month grace period, which will last until March 31, 2020.

After that, anyone who violates the new regulation would face fines between $100 and $500, and third and subsequent offenses would be surchargeable for insurance purposes.