Massachusetts Drivers Are Distracted By More Than Just Cell Phones

We recently reported that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles issued 1.08 million citations to motorists in Massachusetts in 2023, an increase of nearly 40 percent from 2020, when fewer than 776,000 violations were issued.

About 683,000 of the citations were warnings, up from 429,000 in 2020, for a 60 percent increase in warnings.

The theory suggests there were far fewer cars on the road in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, and much more traffic by 2023. The state's distracted driving law that took effect in 2020, likely also played a role in the increase.

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The Registry of Motor Vehicles Merit Rating Board reported 29,600 for violating the new law in 2020. More than 44,000 citations were issued in 2021 for violations of the distracted driving law; then 51,000 in 2022 and nearly 54,000 in 2023.

About 75 percent of the distracted driving citations in 2023 were warnings.

When we think of distracted driving, we automatically assume a cell phone is involved. Not always.

Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt told a recent meeting of the Transportation Department that as a commuter, she witnesses distracted drivers "every single day." She calls it "an epidemic."

State House News Service reported Tibbits-Nutt told board members, "I see people shaving, putting on makeup."

"There is a person that I drive by every day that eats cereal," she said.

I commuted from New Bedford to Providence during morning rush hour for several years, five days a week, in the 1990s. Secretary Tibbits-Nutt speaks the truth.

Not only are commuters texting and eating while driving, but I've seen folks dressing, reading books, and doing things I'm not sure are appropriate to mention here.

What are some of the bizarre things you've seen people doing behind the wheel while they are supposed to be driving?