Push to crack down on texting and driving heats up in Mass.

(MyFoxBoston.com) -- A Massachusetts lawmaker who is fighting to strengthen the state's texting and driving ban hosted a legislative briefing Wednesday on Beacon Hill to raise awareness about shortcomings in the current ban and drum up support for a new law.
   
Rep. Cory Atkins (D-Concord) has filed a bill that would prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones. The current law passed in 2010 bans texting and driving, but does not stop drivers from holding their cellphones.
   
Mass. State Police Lt. Stephen Walsh spoke at the briefing about the difficulties troopers have enforcing the current law because it's difficult to tell whether a driver is texting, which is illegal, or just making a phone call, which is legal.
   
"Trooper, I wasn't texting," said Walsh describing the excuses law enforcement officers hear from drivers. "I was entering a phone number. I was reading my GPS."
   
A FOX25/Northeastern University School of Journalism investigation in February detailed the ineffectiveness of texting and driving laws across the country.
   
Massachusetts, a state with nearly 7,000,000 people has written about 11,000 tickets since the ban passed.
   
But in Connecticut, a state about half the size and where all hand-held cell phone use behind the wheel is banned, the state issues more tickets than that in just one year.
   
"Oh it definitely needs to change, it's unenforceable by the single patrol guy," said West Bridgewater Police Lt. Victor Flaherty who showed up at the briefing because he says he doesn't understand why previous attempts to change the law have failed. "We've had no push back. We've done multiple enforcements of this and the general public is very much in favor of it."
   
"These things take time. The anti-drunk driving movement didn't succeed overnight," said Harvard School of Public Health Dr. Jay Winsten who spoke at the briefing. "All of this eventually reaches the tipping point, so I'm not the least bit surprised it's taken time."
   
Rep. Atkins believes the time has come for her bill to pass and says she hasn't heard about anyone opposing it yet.
   
In the wake of the FOX25/Northeastern University School of Journalism investigation, Governor Baker indicated he would support changing the law.
   
"I think this is the year that this law is going to change," said Atkins.

Cox Media Group