Teen drivers still texting, talking

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - It's been nearly a year since Massachusetts outlawed cell phone use for teen drivers. It's the law..but is it being enforced?

Unlike the seat belt law, the distracted driving law is a primary offense, meaning officers don't need any other reason to pull teens over than simply seeing them use their cell phones. But as it turns out, seeing it happen isn't always easy.

In the state of Massachusetts, cell phone use of any kind is illegal for drivers 18 and under. The penalties are serious- you can lose your license on the first offense. But according to a Boston Herald investigation, in nearly a year's time only twelve teenagers statewide have been taken off the road for violating that ban. The RMV said that's because public education campaigns are working... but ask any teenager, and you'll likely get a different story.

When asked how many of his friends text and drive, 16 year old Chris Lyman of Springfield answered, "probably all of them. Alot of them that I drive with. Like today, I have a friend I drove with today, and we went up to Enfield and he ended up texting all the way up there. And I do it sometimes myself."

Law enforcement officers say the ban can be tricky to enforce while out on the road because teen texting and cell phone use can easily be hidden from view

"It's hard because you're going to have to be at a red light next to them and actually see them texting," explained Springfield Police Sergeant John Delaney. "Anybody who has their wits about them, when they see a marked police car, they're not going to do it in front of them anyway."

That leaves many to worry if a law can't stop them, it might take another tragedy before the lesson is learned.

"They can try to enfoce it as much as they want but kids are going to do what they want to do," said 19 year old Amy Komicki of Springfield. "Alot of them probably think 'it's never gonna happen to me, I'm fine, I'm a good multitasker'.... but in the end in can happen to anybody. And they just need to be smart about it."

And they ought to be smart about it: according to the RMV, the risk of car crashes among teens 16 to 19 is four times higher than any other age group.