Senator Mark Montigny Calls Fun 107 About New Hands-Free Law

Senator Mark Montigny was on his way up to Beacon Hill this morning when he called into the Rock and Fox Show. He was doing what he hopes all Massachusetts motorists will start doing this week. He wants them to put the phone down and pay attention to the roads.

"Imagine if you got caught talking on your cell phone today, Senator," I joked. "What a headline that'd make."

Without hesitation, Montigny joked back, "My mother would kill me. She's been warning me for years that I better never get caught holding my phone while I'm driving."

What's not a joke is that Montigny's hands-free bill that was submitted during George W. Bush's first term is now an active law.

"In 2004 I was single, madly in love, and still hadn't learned how to change a diaper yet," he said. "Now, I'm in a generation where I should be a grandfather, but I have a five-year-old."

The senator didn't pull any punches when talking about how long it took.

"It took 16 years to get this bill passed," said Montigny, "and that says a lot about how broken Beacon Hill is."

So what are we allowed to do, and what aren't we? It's pretty simple, said Montigny. "If you're going to program your GPS, program it beforehand, and then mount (the phone) to the dashboard," he said. "Other than that, there's nothing allowed other than a single tap or swipe. That's it. If a cop sees you with the phone in your hand, you're guilty."

"Everyone thinks they're an Instagram influencer as they're driving down 140 or Route 24, I mean, give me a break! You're not that important. Put the phone down," he said.