Lawmakers Unveil ‘Louisa Law’ To Regulate Dangerous Drivers and Vehicles

State Representative Rob Consalvo (Roslindale and Hyde Park) and Representative Steve Owens (West Cambridge and Watertown) are joining the family of deceased Boston transportation planner Louisa Gag to introduce the “Louisa Law,” a suite of policies aimed at making Massachusetts streets safer.

“I’ve known Louisa’s family for many years, and have witnessed firsthand the devastation a
preventable traffic crash brings to the victim’s loved ones,” said Representative Consalvo in a statement announcing the legislation. “The Louisa Law advances a set of reasonable and practical policies that will ensure other families throughout the Commonwealth do not suffer the same loss.”

The legislation compiles several previously-filed bills that have attempted to bring the Commonwealth closer to its “Vision Zero” goal to eliminate motor vehicle homicides and serious injuries, including:

• Legalizing automated camera enforcement for speeding and red lights. Louisa Gag personally worked on the first version of this bill, filed over 6 years ago.
• Closing loopholes in the existing distracted driving law: The legislation would close a loophole that currently permits drivers to stream videos while operating a motor vehicle. Louisa Gag helped lead the Vision Zero coalition that advocated for the passage of the state’s first distracted driving law in 2019.
• New requirements for truck safety equipment: The legislation would require cities and towns to install convex mirrors, backup cameras, and truck side guards on municipal vehicles. The law would also provide resources to help towns retrofit their fleets, and timelines for compliance and implementation.

In a statement, Gag’s family said that “this bill is by and for Louisa. She will never have the opportunity to finish the work she started. We are calling on lawmakers to take action on this long overdue legislation so that no other family suffers the unbearable loss we have.”

In a phone call with StreetsblogMASS on Thursday evening, Emily Stein, a member of the Massachusetts Families for Safe Streets, talked about how the legislation bridges the personal and the political.

“Families for Safe Streets primarily works to support grieving families, and to advocate. With this legislation, we’re doing both,” Stein said. “We’re working personally with Louisa’s family, on bills that Louisa herself had worked on. This is a law by and for Louisa. It’s devastating and powerful.”