Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Mass. legislators agree on driver texting ban

Texting while driving in Massachusetts will be banned, and junior operators will be banned from using cell phones while driving, under a compromise bill that legislative negotiators plan to announce this afternoon, according to reports. That will be good news for companies like Illume Software Inc., which makes an application that prevents users from calling or texting while driving.

Some of the details of the combined bill were released during an afternoon press conference, according to the State House News Service. Further details will come out after a press conference scheduled for this afternoon. The bill bans all operators of motor vehicles, including the police, from texting while driving, levying fines of $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Texting while driving will be a primary offense, so law enforcement officers can pull someone over if they see texting while driving happening, and they don’t need any other reason to make the stop. Teens, in particular, will be prevented from using their phones in any fashion while driving.

To help battle texting while driving, Illume’s product, iZUP, uses the GPS technology in a mobile phone to send information back to a control server that can determine whether or not a phone user is driving. If so, the phone locks out any calls or texts, saving them on the server until such time as the user has stopped driving. The app is available for Windows Mobile, Google Android and Blackberry phones.

In January, Illume — which recently moved from Concord to Newton — hired Daniel Ross as its CEO, replacing interim CEO Matthew Growney, whose firm Rudyard Partners was an early investor in the company.  Ross was a managing partner of Boston private equity firm Maxis Capital, and in addition to being an entrepreneur in residence at GrandBanks Capital, he has worked for OpenMarket, Picturetel and Digital Equipment Corp. He’s also served as a member of investor group CommonAngels.

The State House News Service provided a summary of the compromise bill:

• Bans all operators of motor vehicles, including law enforcement, from text messaging while driving, with fines of $100 for the first offense, $250 for the second offense and $500 for subsequent offensers;
• Exempts the use of mobile devices while driving for defined emergency purposes;
• Makes texting while driving a primary offense, meaning police can pull over motorists they believe are texting while driving. The offenses would not be surchargeable for insurance purposes.
• Joins 28 states in prohibiting drivers under age 18 from using any type of cell phone or mobile device while driving, with a stepped up series of penalties including license and permit suspensions and fines;
• Requires drivers 75 and older to renew their licenses in person at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and undergo a vision test every five years;
• Requires the Registry to develop regulations to help identify cognitive or functional impairments likely to affect driving ability, standards that law enforcement and health care providers can use to assess a driver’s ability. The bill also permits physicians or law enforcement officers to report to the Registry when they believe an operator is not physically or medically capable of driving safely.