Indefatigable Contributor Mike L. sends me this report from inside Deepest Blue America:
With Memorial Day just one week away, millions of people are expected to hit the road this upcoming holiday weekend. AAA has predicted travel to hit pre-pandemic levels and are urging drivers to make safe driving a priority as car accidents are at an all-time high in Massachusetts.
But:
A forced lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented many people from traveling. Drivers we spoke with believe that the roads are more dangerous today than they were before the pandemic.
Why is this? Have they forgotten how to drive — or, more importantly, if this is the case — why is it taking Massholes so long to get back into proper driving? This may be the answer:
“We talk a lot about the laws and regulations, about the hands-free driving law, which was instated right after quarantine,” said Juniper Holmes, director of Ja’Duke Driving School in Turners Falls. “They’re not allowed to actually hold their phone in their hands. They’re supposed to use a Bluetooth device to talk on the cellphone or, if they are over 18, then they can talk to Siri and use Bluetooth, but texting in Massachusetts is illegal while you’re driving.”
Holmes told us that distracted driving is a common issue they see on the roads while conducting their driving lessons, and it is something they are stressing now more than ever.
“People are staring at their laps, and when you see people whose eyes are not on the road, their eyes are straight down on their laps, you usually think that they are texting or they’re on their phone, and the law also states that you’re not allowed to be texting or making phone calls at a red light or stop sign, either,” she said.
Clearly, the answer is MOAR LAWS (which is the usual response Up There). Or maybe — gasp! — stricter enforcement of and higher penalties for said laws?
Nah… that would be rayciss or transphobic or something.
By the way — and I admit that I haven’t driven in Boston or anywhere in Massachusetts in a long time — I’ve found that Boston’s drivers are the most aggressive and impatient assholes in the entire country. They make Texas rednecks and New Yorkers look positively polite and British by comparison.
