We at Plymouth Rock are pleased to learn that Massachusetts legislators are taking important steps to help eliminate distracted driving. Yesterday, the Massachusetts House and Senate agreed on a bill that will ban all texting while driving whether you’re headed down the road, or stopped at a light. But that’s not all — the legislation calls for a stop to all mobile phone use for drivers under the age of 18, and lists new requirements for older drivers. The penalties for breaking these new rules are steep. Drivers who text will be fined $100. Drivers aged 18 and under caught on their phones will face a similar fine of $100, in addition to having their license suspended for 60 days.

Though both the House and Senate passed different versions of the bill earlier this year, they have only now been able to come to an agreement. The compromise was announced yesterday afternoon in a news conference held at the State House, and legislators expect the bill to be passed within the next few days.

This legislation is momentous as Massachusetts joins many other states in addressing distracted driving, which, as the Boston Globe pointed out in its June 15 story on distracted driving, is a contributing factor to many fatal automobile accidents. When the bill is passed, Massachusetts will be the 29th state to ban texting for all drivers and the 29th to ban all phone use for drivers under 18, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Plymouth Rock supports Massachusetts legislators on this issue by continuing to advocate for safe driving practices with the hope that the number of incidents related to distracted driving will eventually decrease to zero.