Public & Gov't Affairs / Driver Training & Safety

RMV Services in AAA Branches in MA

Why wait in line? Save precious time! That's the invitation AAA Southern New England is sending to Massachusetts members, who can now add Registry services in 3 Massachusetts AAA branches to their list of Club services. In the last two weeks, AAA and state officials – Registrar Rachel Kaprielian and Lt. Governor Timothy Murray among them – joined AAA Southern New England for ribbon cutting ceremonies in Worcester, Plymouth, and, most recently, Framingham. All three branches are offering routine license and registration renewals to members.

Registrar Kaprielian praised the year-long AAA RMV pilot program as "wildly successful" and says she's looking forward to a long and productive partnership.

AAA SNE's Rhode Island branches have been offering DMV services for years, and currently process about forty percent of the Ocean State's license renewals.

Local Teams Claim top Honors in National AAA/Ford Auto Skills Contest

Teenage auto technicians from Connecticut and Rhode Island are top ten winners in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals.

Connecticut's Jordan Boots and Conner McCreery, students at Platt Technical High School In Milford, took third place in the national contest with help from Instructor Kirk Stankiewicz.

Rhode Island competitors Patrick Hickey and Richard Wilkins, students at Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, placed seventh, along with instructor David Tibbetts.

This was the 61st annual hard-fought competition, held yesterday at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Young auto techs resolve "real world" repair challenges in a timed match-up of the best teams representing all 50 states. North Dakota's team won the top slot.

AAA Presents Pembroke High School with Prize

As prom season approaches, AAA recognizes Pembroke High School and senior student Tim Lewis for speaking out against underage drinking and driving. Lewis won a statewide video contest, "Dance, Don't Chance" which was sponsored by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Students from across the state competed to produce minute-long public service announcements emphasizing the importance of safe and sober driving. Lewis created a short video addressing underage drinking, the importance of wearing seat belts, and the dangers of texting, smoking and speeding behind the wheel. The Pembroke High senior emerged first in a field of sixty-six video entries, winning his class a $1,000 check from AAA, as well as other prizes.

More Choices For Motorists

A bill moving through the Massachusetts General Assembly could offer motorists a wider array of car repair options. The "Right to Repair" bill would require auto manufacturers to supply information and diagnostic tools to independent repair shops – information and tools that are currently provided only to franchised dealer service centers. Many consumers, along with the coalition backing the bill, argue that "Right to Repair" would provide motorists with more choices in the marketplace, and ultimately save them both money and time. Automakers generally oppose the bill. The Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure approved the "Right to Repair" bill in early February, and the measure is now headed to the Senate for debate. Stay tuned!

RI Bans Texting While Driving

Thanks to a new law in effect November 9, it is now illegal to send a text message while driving in Rhode Island. Lloyd Albert, AAA SNE Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs, joined legislators at a recent bill signing ceremony.

Rhode Island is now the 19th state, in addition to Washington, DC, to ban texting while driving. Sending, reading or writing a text message, including an email or instant message, with any kind of data-transmission device while operating a moving motor vehicle is now punishable at the Traffic Tribunal with a fine of: $85 for the first offense; $100 for the second offense; and $125 for a third or subsequent offense.

Stay Alert! Drowsy Driving Is Dangerous Driving

In the wake of daylight saving time, when many people lose sleep, AAA Southern New England would like all drivers to consider the dangers of drowsy driving. In the two weeks after we change our clocks, law enforcement officials report a ten percent increase in the number of crashes. Here’s a startling statistic: it's estimated that as many as 250–thousand people doze off at the wheel every day – many for just a second or two, but that's long enough to cause a life-altering crash.

A significant percentage of us – especially teenagers – are sleep-deprived. AAA's message: drowsy driving is impaired driving–affecting focus, reaction time, judgment, and alertness. Don't drive drowsy, and don't let your friends or children drive when they're tired. If you feel sleepy, pull over and rest, or call a friend or relative for help.
View Drowsy Driving resources

MA Texting Law Takes Effect September 30

As of September 30, 2010, it will be illegal to send or read a text message while you're behind the wheel in Massachusetts.

Governor Deval Patrick signed the Safe Driving Bill July 2. In addition to banning texting, the new law bans all cell phone use for 16 and 17-year old junior operators, except in emergency situations. It also requires drivers 75 and older to renew in person and take a vision test every five years.

Violations of the texting while driving ban carry fines of $100 to $500. Junior operators who talk on cell phones – even hands free – face fines and license suspensions.

Texting bans are already in effect in Rhode Island and Connecticut. AAA was a driving force in the passage of the new law in Massachusetts.

Oprah Spotlights Boston As No Cell Phone Zone

Make Boston – and all of Massachusetts – a No Cell Phone Zone! That's the declaration issued by Oprah April 30 during a special broadcast of her daytime talk show. "Oprah" featured live reports from six cities, including Boston, home base Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. The queen of daytime talk staged the dramatic telecast as part of an ongoing nationwide effort to urge drivers to put down their cell phones, and to stop texting while driving: Oprah wants everyone to sign the No Cell Phone Pledge.

The show profiled families who have lost loved ones to crashes caused by text messaging and distracted driving. AAA Southern New England participated in the Boston No Cell Phone Zone rally, and hopes that Massachusetts will become the 25th state to enact a ban on texting while driving. The Massachusetts Legislature recently banned texting as part of its passage of the Safe Driving Bill. The bill is awaiting the Governor's signature.

One National Champ and Three Regional Winners in AAA Poster Contest

An eighth grader at Nathanael Greene Middle School in Providence is a national award winner in the 66th annual AAA Traffic Safety Poster Contest. Jamilex Rodriguez took top honors with a hand-drawn poster entitled, "Do Not Eat While Driving," featuring a motorist behind the wheel eating a giant cheeseburger.

Three local students also claimed prizes in the regional AAA Southern New England Poster Contest. Plymouth South High School Senior Carrie Reddington, and Danny Pennella, a fifth-grader at Dorchester's St. Brendan School, both won first place regional awards. Plymouth South sophomore Allie Barbeau earned a second place prize. Reddington and Barbeau's entries warned of the dangers of distracted driving and speeding, and Pennella focused on the importance of obeying traffic lights and signals.

Congratulations to all our national and regional winners, and to all our contestants for their thought-provoking entries. The Poster Contest aims to reduce traffic fatalities by promoting community outreach and public awareness. ouse/Senate conference is working to hammer out a compromise.

Improve Your Driving In Connecticut

We're expanding our Driver Improvement Program Classes to more Connecticut locations in Stamford, Milford, Greenwich and North Haven. Classes are free for AAA members and $20 for non-members. For information, contact, Terry Marchitto at 203-765-4222, ext. 5141. Click here to view dates and locations