Put Down The Phone! Milford Police Begin 'Hands Free' Driving Patrols

MILFORD, MA — If you're the kind of driver who likes to post on Instagram while careening down Route 16, know that you might in for a hefty fine.

Along with more than 100 other departments across Massachusetts (including state police), Milford police in April will increase enforcement around the state's relatively new hands-free driving law. Under the three-year-old law, you can't have a phone in your hands while driving for any purpose.

The town is using a state grant to pay for the emphasis patrols, according to the police department.

"Reducing the number of people who are needlessly injured or killed in our community is our priority," Milford Chief James Falvey said in a news release. "These funds allow us to put more patrols in high crash locations and stress the importance of drivers giving their full attention to the operation of their motor vehicles."

The 2020 hands-free law bans the use of any electronic device while driving. Drivers can still use hands-free mode and use a phone for navigation. You can still hold a phone to call 911 in an emergency, but police ask drivers to at least pull over first.

Failure to obey the law means hefty fines: $150 for the first offense, $250 for the second and a mandatory distracted driving education course, and a $500 fine for the third and all other offenses — plus an insurance surcharge and another distracted driving course.