People usually listen to enjoyable music and watch DVDs in the comfort of their own home. However, it is a completely different concept when people are doing it while operating a motor vehicle.

Loud music and movies are significant distractions on the road, especially in this metropolitan city plagued by Red Sox traffic, apathetic pedestrians and even the Big Dig. As drivers watch their favorite movies and blast loud music while cruising around Boston, they miss out on visual and auditory events. This includes seeing the detour sign due to construction, stopping for the pedestrian that just bolted in front of the car and hearing the ambulance siren that is responding to a 911 emergency phone call.

The bills recently proposed before the Transportation Committee stated that drivers be fined $50 for playing DVDs in the front seat and $100 for blasting loud music that is heard 50 feet away. This bill is not to punish the driver, but to protect the driver and everyone in the surrounding area from a fatal car crash caused by preventable distractions.

– Tina Penman is a graduate student studying audiology.