Speak up for traffic safety bills!
Wednesday, October 13th at 11am, the MA Legislature is holding a virtual hearing on a variety of traffic safety bills. The BCU and our partners in the MA Vision Zero Coalition will be testifying in support of and in opposition to various bills—and we need your help emphasizing to lawmakers which bills will positively impact street safety, and which could do unintended harm.
Read more below about the bills we support/oppose. Then send your comments to the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, which is holding the hearing, using the form below. The form includes sample text, and will go directly to the committee and your representatives when you hit send.
Can we count on you to contact the committee in support of key street safety bills?
Bills we support
The MA Vision Zero Coalition has long been a supporter of using automated cameras to enforce speed and red-light violations. It’s a win-win tool to reduce dangerous driving while also reducing direct police interactions.
The following are the specific bills we support, as they have key equity provisions necessary to properly regulate this technology, including capped fines and data protections:
- An Act relative to automated enforcement |S1545, Brownsberger, William N. (SEN)
- An Act relative to automated enforcement |H2426, Ciccolo, Michelle L. (HOU)
Bills we oppose
The MA Vision Zero Coalition supports wearing seatbelts. We do not support changing the seat belt law from a secondary to primary offense. With the additional legislation, not wearing a seat belt could be the sole reason for a police officer initiating a traffic stop. This law has been shown to contribute to pretextual stops and racial profiling in other states. Instead, we propose education and awareness campaigns to encourage greater seatbelt usage.
These are the following bills we oppose:
- An Act establishing a primary seat belt law | H2515 , Roy, Jeffrey N. (HOU)
- An act relative to primary enforcement of seatbelt violations | H2543, Whelan, Timothy R. (HOU)
- An Act establishing a primary seat belt law | S1591, Feeney, Paul R. (SEN)
Traffic safety is immensely important, and it’s equally important that it’s done right. We and the Vision Zero Coalition feel strongly about our approach and recommendations to the MA Legislature.
Please speak up for legislation done right, and use our sample comment letter below to share your thoughts with the committee.
Thank you for your support!