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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2126 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2272
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Mark C. Montigny
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to the use of video screens while operating a motor vehicle.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Mark C. MontignySecond Bristol and Plymouth 1 of 3
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2126 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2272
By Mr. Montigny, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2272) of Mark C. Montigny for
legislation relative to the use of video screens while operating a motor vehicle. Transportation.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2356 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to the use of video screens while operating a motor vehicle.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 13 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out in lines 27-31 the following words:-
3 No person shall drive any motor vehicle equipped with any television viewer, screen or
4other means of visually receiving a television broadcast which is located in the motor vehicle at
5any point forward of the back of the driver’s seat, or which is visible to the driver while
6operating such motor vehicle.
7 SECTION 2. Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
8adding the following section:-
9 Section 13D. 2 of 3
10 (a)No motor vehicle registered in the commonwealth shall be equipped with, nor
11shall be used therein, a television receiver, video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any
12other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces
13entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at a point
14forward of the back of the driver’s seat, or is operating and the monitor, screen, or display is
15visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle. The operator of a motor vehicle that is not
16required to be registered in the commonwealth shall not operate a television receiver, video
17monitor, or a television or video screen or any other similar means of visually displaying a
18television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications that
19violates the provisions of this section while driving in the commonwealth.
20 The prohibitions contained in this subsection shall not, however, include:
21 1. Electronic displays used in conjunction with vehicle navigation and mapping
22systems, or as part of a digital dispatch system;
23 2. Closed circuit video monitors designed to operate only in conjunction with
24dedicated video cameras and used in rear-view systems on trucks, motor homes, and other motor
25vehicles;
26 3. Television receivers or monitors used in government-owned vehicles by law-
27enforcement officers in the course of their official duties;
28 4. Visual displays used to enhance or supplement the driver’s view forward, behind,
29or to the sides of a motor vehicle for the purpose of maneuvering the vehicle;
30 5. A vehicle information display; 3 of 3
31 6. A visual display used to enhance or supplement a driver’s view of vehicle
32occupants;
33 7. Television-type receiving equipment used exclusively for safety or traffic
34engineering information; or
35 8. A television receiver, video monitor, television or video screen, or any other
36similar means of visually displaying a moving image, if that equipment is factory-installed and
37has an interlock device that, when the motor vehicle operator is performing one or more driving
38tasks, disables the equipment so that such moving images are not visible to the motor vehicle
39operator except as a visual display described in subsections 1 through 7. For the purposes of this
40subsection, “driving task” means all of the real time functions required to operate a vehicle in on-
41road traffic, excluding the selection of destinations and waypoints, and including steering,
42turning, lane keeping and lane changing, accelerating and decelerating.
43 (b)Except for displays explicitly authorized in subsection b, no driver of any motor
44vehicle shall view any motion picture or similar video display while driving.