Mass. city doling out information instead of tickets in distracted driving campaign

Worcester is reinstating its “Eyes Up, Phone Down” initiative to discourage distracted driving — without handing out tickets. 

The program was first introduced in February of 2020 in conjunction with the state of Mass. But then the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the number of people on the roads, and the program took a natural backseat.

Now, Worcester Police, the City of Worcester, AAA Northeast, Safe Roads Alliance, Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and WalkBike Worcester are partnering together to encourage people to put their phones down. 

Joseph D. Early Jr., Worcester County attorney general, spoke alongside city partners in a press conference on Monday. 

Early reported there were over 325 fatal crashes in 2023. And so far in 2024, there have been 1,600 crashes, 40 of which were fatal. 

“We know that many of these crashes could be avoided by not being on a phone,” Early said. 

Rather than giving out tickets for distracted driving, Worcester PD will issue a warning and hand out a palm card with information. 

The city’s overall message of “Eyes Up, Phones Down” asks drivers to put their phones on “Do Not Disturb” before beginning their drive. Recent Android and Apple phones have this feature.