It's Official: Texting while Driving is Illegal in MA

Starting today, September 30th, drivers who are caught texting behind the wheel in Massachusetts will be pulled over and face hefty fines as the state joins the nationwide push to limit distracted driving. WCVB reports that the new law also prohibits scanning the Internet on a phone or mobile device while driving and bans anyone under 18 from talking on a cell phone while driving. Violators will face fines ranging from $100 for a first offense and up to $500 for repeat offenses. The ban still applies when drivers are at a stoplight.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill into law earlier this year and said it should help make roads in the state safer. "Driving while texting or using a cell phone carelessly is seriously unsafe," Patrick said in a statement. "This law means police are going to take it seriously." Last year, almost 6,000 people were killed in crashes on U.S. roadways that were reported to have involved distracted driving. In Massachusetts, there were 400 crashes in 2008 where cell phones were reported to be a contributing factor, according to the state.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles and the AAA are working to warn drivers about the texting ban. The RMV has advised drivers about the new law through eight large digital billboards on highways across the state and has posted similar information on electronic road signs. Posters are also being put up at RMV branches and MBTA stations. AAA has produced two public service announcements and is sending e-mails about the new law to its more than 2 million members in Massachusetts. "Texting is the great triple threat, the most dangerous of distractions," said Mark Shaw, AAA Southern New England President and CEO. "It takes our eyes off the road, our hands off the wheel and our mental focus off our driving."

For more on the WCVB article and information about the new law, visit their website.

Study: Texting ban may cause more crashes

On Thursday September 30th, 2010 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will join 28 other states in banning texting while driving. Later this year and in early 2011, Wisconsin and Delaware will make the 29th and 30th states.

Although states are putting a ban on texting while driving, a new study came out today that claims the laws may not be doing much. According to an ABCNews report, texting while driving may be very dangerous, but state laws banning the activity are not reducing the number of auto crashes. Researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute reported today they found no reduction in car collisions after texting-while-driving laws took effect. The researchers calculated rates of collision claims for vehicles in California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington, immediately before and immediately after those states banned texting while driving. Not only did the researchers find that crashes did not decrease after texting bans, they found that in three states, crashes actually increased slightly.

For more information regarding the changes in the law, log onto the MassDOT website.

Registry Changes for September

The month of September is seeing a lot of registry changes. Below are changes that take effect before the end of the month:

Three Surchargeable Events Suspension:
Effective September 30, 2010, three surchargeable events in a two-year period may cause a license suspension. A surchargeable event is a motor vehicle violation or an at-fault accident. If you get a third surchargeable event, you must complete a Driver Retraining Course within 90 days of the date of the notification you receive from the RMV. If you do not, your license will be suspended. You must complete the course each time you get a third surchargeable event within two years. It does not matter if you have already taken the course. See the Surchargeable Events section on page 46 of the Driver’s Manual for more information.

Required In-Person Renewals for Operators Over 75:
Effective September 30, 2010, operators 75 years of age or older can only renew a driver’s license at an RMV branch. The operator must either pass a vision test or present a completed Vision Screening Certificate.

Duplicate Title Online:
Effective September 22, 2010, a request for Duplicate Title online transaction will be available in the RMV’s Online Branch section of the Internet. Vehicle owners will now be able to request a duplicate title online. The request will be processed in Real Time, which means that it will be processed immediately in ALARS. To request a duplicate title, the owner must provide the following information: Valid e-mail address, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or Title Number, Owner’s Driver’s License Number or FID/EIN Number and valid payment information.

For more information, visit the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle website.

Divorce Insurance: Get Unhitched, Get a Payout

All over the internet there have been articles, blogs and editorials about the new widely talked about form of insurance; divorce insurance. An article from the September 13th issue of TIME Magazine explains how divorce insurance is on the rise. WedLock, as it's coyly named, is a new type of casualty insurance that gives the unhappily married policyholder a payout after he or she is unhitched. It costs about $16 a month for every $1,250 of coverage. But to discourage people from signing up just prior to their divorce, policyholders must ante up for four years before the policy will pay out. It adds a premium of $250 per unit for every year the marriage survives beyond four. So if a policyholder who bought 10 units got divorced after 10 years, he or she would have handed over $19,188 and would receive a payout of $27,500. It's probably not worth getting divorced for, but the lump sum might salve some wounds, whether through lawyers or vacations.

The idea bubbled up from the bottom of a financial pit. After John Logan watched his wealth follow his marriage down the drain, the Kernersville, N.C., entrepreneur figured there must be a market for those who want to hedge their marital bets. He won't reveal how many policies he's sold since the Aug. 5 launch of WedLockDivorceInsurance.com. But he's surprised at how much insurance his customers are buying: some of the premiums are more than $1,000 a month.

To learn more about divorce insurance or to read the entrire article, visit TIME Magazine's website.

Social Networking to Increase Insurance?

An article from ITWORLD thinks it could. The article states that social networkers who use location-based services such as Facebook Places should expect to see their home insurance premiums rise, says Confused.com. The online insurance firm, which predicted earlier this year using social networks could plead to hikes in insurance premiums, issued the warning after a burglary scam in the US saw 50 homes broken into and $100,000 worth of goods stolen.

The criminals used Facebook to monitor when web users 'checked in' to places on the social network, highlighting the fact they were away from home, and then targeted the empty properties. Confused.com also urged web users not to post home addresses or personal information on social networks, as well as turning-off location-based services and only 'following' or connecting with people you know.

For more information, read the full article here.

Glitch Delays RMV Branch Openings

WCVB-TV is reporting that the state Department of Transportation said it had to delay the opening of several of its Registry of Motor Vehicle branches until 10 a.m. Thursday because of a mainframe hardware failure within the state's Information Technology Division. Because of the breakdown, the RMV said it wasn't able to conduct system maintenance and updates and process transactions through its database which are normally run overnight.

This work must be completed before the database can be accessed for processing new transactions, the RMV said. "This is a problem that surfaced in the middle of the night which ITD immediately addressed. However, it will take at least until 10 a.m. for our database to catch up so we can begin processing transactions," said Registrar Rachel Kaprielian. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this presents."

Even with some branches closed this morning, customers were still able to do some transactions online by visiting http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/rmv/.

New MA Safe Driving Law

Starting September 30, 2010, The Safe Driving Law becomes effective in Massachusetts. The law creates a series of new violations, which the RMV Division, MassDOT IT staff and the Merit Rating Board are working to program and implement.

These new violations include:
1. Use of a Mobile Phone by a Junior Operator
Civil Offense- No insurance surcharge (Reporting an emergency is the only exception. Drivers are encouraged to pull over and stop the vehicle to report the emergency.)
1st offense-$100 assessment 60-day license suspension and attitudinal course
2nd offense-$250 assessment 180-day suspension
3rd or subsequent offense-$500 assessment 1-year suspension
$100 reinstatement fee for any suspension
Knowledge and road test required for reinstatement

2. Use of a Mobile Phone by a Public Transport Motor Vehicle Operator Civil Offense- No insurance surcharge-$500 assessment each offense

3. Use of a Mobile Phone by a Public Transport Non-Motor Vehicle Operator Civil Offense- No insurance surcharge (MBTA Trolley), $500 assessment each violation

4. Improper Use of a Mobile Phone by Operators 18 and Over Civil Offense- No insurance surcharge (One hand must be on the steering wheel at all times and no use of device can interfere with driving)
1st offense-$35 assessment
2nd offense in 12 months-$75 assessment
3rd offense in 12 months-$150 assessment

5. Sending/Reading Text Messages Civil Offense- No insurance surcharge
(Operators cannot use any mobile electronic device to write, send, or read an electronic message including text messages, emails, instant messages or accessing the internet while operating a vehicle. Mobile electronic device includes mobile telephone, text messaging device, paging device, PDA, laptop computer, electronic equipment capable of playing video games or video disks or can take/transmit digital photographs or can receive a television broadcast. Mobile Device does not include any equipment permanently or temporarily installed to provide navigation, emergency assistance or rear seat video entertainment. Law applies even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic.)
1st offense-$100 assessment
2nd offense-$250 assessment
3rd or subsequent offense-$500 assessment

6. Negligent Operation & Injury from Mobile Phone Use Criminal Offense- Insurance surcharge
JOL Suspensions:
1st offense-180-day suspension
2nd or subsequent offense within 3 years-1 year suspension
$100 reinstatement fee
Over-18 suspensions:
1st offense-60-day suspension
2nd or subsequent offense within 3 years-1 year suspension
$100 reinstatement fee
Additional Suspensions

The law repeals the current suspension for 5-surchargeable incidents in a 3-year period and replaces it with a new suspension for 3 surchargeable incidents in 2 years. Only violations with an incident date on or after 9/30/2010 can be factored into the new suspension calculation. However, older violations will still be considered a basis for operators that accrue 7 surchargeable incidents. Similar to the current suspension process for 5 surchargeable incidents, operators will have 90 days from the suspension notice to complete a National Safety Council course to avoid going into suspension.

EXAMPLE: An operator receives a citation on October 1, 2010 and is cited for 3 offenses on the ticket: speeding, failure to yield, and a marked lane violation. Under the new law, this driver will receive a notice that they must complete the NSC course in 90 days or have his/her license suspended until completion of the class.

Elder Driving Provisions:
License applicants, either for initial licensure in Massachusetts or license renewal, age 75 and older must conduct the transaction in a RMV office. Use of the Internet for license renewals will no longer be allowed for these applicants. All applicants, regardless of age, that obtain or renew a license in a branch office are required to undergo the RMV vision test that is given to all drivers or provide a vision screening certificate from an appropriate health care provider to complete the transaction.

For more information regarding the Safe Driving Law, please visit the MassDOT website.

MassDOT Registry Website

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Registry of Motor Vehicles website is more helpful than ever before! By visiting the website, you can save a trip to the RMV if you're looking to renew your license or registration, schedule a road test, change your address or pay a citation. You can also enter your zip code to find the closest RMV and the wait time. For more information, visit their website!

Hurricane Myths That Aren't Mythical

With Hurricane Earl suspected to touch down in New England Friday, WCVB TV has posted some helpful links for learning more about what to do in case a hurricane hits us. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shares these five myths about hurricane’s that people need to know aren’t mythical.

1. The area is under evacuation order but the weather looks great right now, so people should wait until the weather gets bad before they evacuate.
This can be one of the most dangerous decisions you can make. Evacuation orders are based on the best available information and are issued early enough to provide people with time to get to shelter. Waiting until the last minute can leave you with no escape if the storm does not behave according to forecast.

2. Only coastal areas are at risk from hurricanes.
A hurricane is not just a coastal event. The strong winds, heavy rains, tornadoes and inland flooding from weakening tropical systems can spread well inland and cause tremendous damage. For example, in 2001, heavy rainfall produced by Tropical Storm Allison caused catastrophic floods in Houston, Texas. FEMA estimated that the damages in the Houston area reached approximately $4.8 billion.

3. Winds from a hurricane can not be that much worse than winds from a summer thunderstorm.
While summer thunderstorms can produce wind gusts of more 60 miles per hour, the winds of a major hurricane can reach more than twice that speed and will be sustained for hours, much longer than a thunderstorm. Each time wind speed is doubled, the wind force increases by a factor of four. Also, minimum hurricane strength winds of 74 mph can drive a piece of 2x4 lumber through a reinforced concrete wall four inches thick.

4. The storm surge is only going to be 15 to 20 feet at worst. My condo is on the upper floor. I’m riding out the storm there.
Vertical evacuation, or escaping the rising storm surge by going to the upper stories of a building, is not always a good idea. Wind speeds increase the higher you get, so you are evacuating into a more dangerous place. Also, the high winds and water make getting help to you harder once the storm is over.

5. Why prepare for a big hurricane? When it comes, my house will be destroyed anyways.
While a hurricane’s winds can destroy even the most solidly built structures, taking some basic precautions can significantly reduce damage from a storm. Shuttering windows, bracing garage and entry doors and bringing in yard items can be the difference between destruction and minor damage.