After pandemic pause, officials pledge renewed effort to stop distracted driving

WORCESTER ― Alyson Lowell's 20-year-old daughter Gabriella "Gabby" Lowell was killed by a distracted driver in 2018.

Now Lowell – along with the Worcester County District Attorney's office, the Worcester Police Department, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and AAA — are promoting the "Eyes Up, Phones Down" initiative in hopes of preventing similar tragedies.

With tears in her eyes and her voice breaking, Lowell recounted how she felt receiving the news about her daughter, who was struck while in a crosswalk on Grafton Street by a driver who admitted to texting just before the crash.

"Gabriella was my only child and her life was taken by someone who was driving while distracted," Lowell said. "He was texting and driving and had no regard for anyone else. But that text was not important. No text is important enough to send while driving."

The "Eyes Up, Phones Down" initiative, originally launched in Feb. 2020 in coordination with the state's hands-free law, was paused due to the pandemic.

Worcester police said they will put a "brief pause" on ticketing for distracted driving during the first week of April. Instead of ticketing, officers will give distracted drivers a warning and a pamphlet from the District Attorney's office about the dangers of distracted driving.

"This is a great example of working together in a prevention effort that's going to bring the message to the public that when they're behind the wheel of the car, we shouldn't be on their phones," District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said at a press conference Monday at Worcester police headquarters. "We understand this is going to be a hard addiction to break."

Early also encouraged drivers to use the "do not disturb" feature on their smartphones while driving. The do not disturb feature does not show any notifications to the driver when they are in the car. Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie had another piece of advice: Enter directions into GPS before starting to drive.

"2024 marks four years since Massachusetts put the hands-free law into effect. But despite the law, distracted driving is still one of the primary factors of fatal crashes," Massachusetts Department of Transportation highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver said. "One of the most difficult things we deal with on a regular basis is roadway fatalities."

According to the district attorney's office, there were 325 fatal crashes across Massachusetts in 2023. So far in 2024, there have been nearly 16,000 crashes reported including 40 fatalities, 234 crashes involving pedestrians and 58 crashes involving bicycles.

"The registry is certainly responsible for driver education and will continue to promote this topic and understanding in our driver education programs and all the different constituencies that we reach," Ogilvie said.

Interim Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said the initiative is all about education. After the moratorium on distracted driving tickets expires, Lt. Paul Walsh said, the fine for a first offense would be $100, the second $250 and the third $500.

The campaign will target drivers and pedestrians through social media, presentations, flyers and public service announcements.

"We know that life can and does change in the blink of an eye," Early said. "We're here to prevent tragedies, to make the roads safer for you, your families and everyone involved."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester officials announce new campaign against distracted driving