Massachusetts Father Passes Hands-free Driving Law After Son's Death

After a 13 year effort, a Massachusetts father who lost his son to a distracted driving collision has passed a law banning hand-held cell phone use while driving. 

Jordan Cibley died in 2007 after he struck a tree while talking on the phone with his father.  

Since then, his father Jerry Cibley has been lobbying for the Hands-Free Driving Bill, which bans using hand-held electronic devices while operating a vehicle. 

15 years after being introduced, the bill passed Massachusetts General Assembly in 2019. The law went into effect in February 2020. 

“My son’s legacy will be remembered and he will do something special regardless of whether he’s alive or not,” Jerry Cibley told Wink News. “There are so many people that are on the phone that are causing distracted driving accidents and taking lives of innocent people… mothers, fathers, brothers, children.”

Now, fines for using a hand-held electronic device while driving will be $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third. 

Massachusetts joined 22 other states with hands-free driving laws, all of which are primary enforcement laws, meaning that an officer may cite a driver for using a handheld cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place.  

Hands-free driving laws work to prevent distracted driving

The laws are for good reason — A 2014 study found that driver bans on hand-held phone use result in long-term reductions in distracted driving rates and drivers in states where cell-phone usage is banned report higher rates of hands-free phone use and lower overall phone use compared with drivers in non-ban states.

Click here to check out distracted driving laws in your state.

Sign Hunter’s Pledge to End Distracted Driving

Hunter’s Pledge was designed to encourage drivers to commit to safe driving habits.

Since 2016, tens of thousands of drivers have signed the pledge and permanently changed their driving behaviors.

Studies show that signing a pledge can dramatically and permanently change behaviors. In fact, 55 percent of people who sign Hunter’s Pledge have changed their driving behavior. 

Sign the pledge by clicking here.

Hunter’s Fund

Hunter’s Fund honors the life of Hunter Watson, a young man of extremely diverse talents who was killed at 20-years-old when he was fatally injured as a passenger in a distracted driving collision.

Through distracted driving education and awarding grants to help young people’s involvement in performing arts, music, computer science, and entrepreneurship, Hunter’s Fund empowers young people in their careers and keeps Hunter’s spirit alive.

Does your fraternity or organization want to get involved with Hunter’s Pledge? Click here for more information, or contact Natalie Kwon natalie@hunterwatson.org.