Public Service Announcements

Safe Driving and Preventing Fatal Crashes

Many fatal motor vehicle collisions are preventable, notes Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, and avoiding high-risk behaviors such as driving under the influence and using cellphones while driving can make you and everyone on the road safer. Behind the many distracted- or impaired-driving statistics are real people whose lives have been ended or forever altered by the reckless decisions of impaired or distracted drivers. In addition to these victims, surviving drivers may also face life-altering consequences, with culpable drivers facing potential State Prison sentences for fatal crashes in addition to potential loss of license for at least 15 years, or even up to life.

No one wants to be responsible for killing another person with their vehicle, but many people think that this outcome would never happen to them. Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker and all members of Essex County law enforcement are determined to combat impaired and distracted driving. If you see someone operating a vehicle in a reckless manner, please contact your local police department to let them know. You may wind up saving someone’s life. In addition, remember to always wear your seatbelt. Together, we can keep the roads of Essex County as safe as possible.

Operating Under the Influence

Operating under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs – including prescription medication abuse – is illegal and, all too often, lethal. On average, someone dies from a drunk-driving car crash in the United States every 39 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These deaths are preventable. By utilizing a designated driver system or calling taxis or ride-hailing services, individuals who know they will be drinking or consuming cannabis – although Massachusetts has legalized marijuana, driving while “high” remains a crime – can avoid putting others at risk. Passengers should not get in the car with drivers who are drunk or high. Those hosting parties and social gatherings should make sure all guests leave with a sober driver. It’s also important to remember that a driver may be impaired even if they are not visibly drunk; “buzzed” driving is also drunk driving.

Distracted Driving

Much like operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, distracted driving is a frequent contributor to fatal motor vehicle crashes. While sending a single text or checking an app while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle may seem harmless in the moment, NHTSA reports that more than 3,000 deaths were directly attributed to this dangerous practice in 2022. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds; at 55 miles per hour, that’s comparable to driving the length of an entire football field with a blindfold on. In addition, a texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver. People of all ages should understand that distracted driving such as texting while driving is a criminal offense. No text message is more important than your life or the lives of other motorists. Remember that texting, social media, and other phone app-related responses, activity, or usage can wait. If you are driving, put the phone away or use a hands-free device for calls (and know that junior operators may not use a phone at all, even if hands-free, when driving.

Cryptocurrency Scams: Beware and Report Financial Fraud

It is estimated that approximately $10 million of financial fraud was reported in Essex County last year. The total amount of money lost to scams may be much greater than that, given that some financial fraud victims do not report the crime committed against them. DA Tucker urges victims of scams to immediately contact their local police department to report the crime.

Cryptocurrency scams have become one of the most popular tactics used by criminals to defraud victims and often target the elderly in schemes that involve making payments using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency at cryptocurrency ATMs. Perpetrators of these crimes are drawn to cryptocurrency due to the ability to anonymize their identities and quickly move funds overseas. This video highlights one such scam, and the victim involved hopes others may learn from her story and avoid falling prey to similar cryptocurrency scams, as our best line of defense against such scams is a well-informed public:

Understanding Crypto ATMs/Bitcoin ATMs and Scams

A crypto ATM, sometimes called a crypto kiosk or BTM (Bitcoin ATM) is a physical machine that looks similar to a traditional ATM and allows customers to purchase cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin using cash, debit, credit card, or bank transfer. Often, crypto ATMs charge significantly higher transaction fees than online and mobile platforms – sometimes as high as 25 percent. There are tens of thousands of these machines across the United States, and the Boston Business Journal has reported that there are more than 800 Bitcoin ATMs in Massachusetts. A crypto or Bitcoin ATM is intended to convert a user’s physical cash into cryptocurrency and send that cryptocurrency to the user’s “digital wallet.” However, in many of these scams, users are directed to send the cryptocurrency to the scammer’s digital wallet. Because these transactions are instantaneous, there is no “clawback” period and perpetrators can instantly transfer funds.

Crypto Scams: Know the Warning Signs

The nature of these scams may vary, from romance-based schemes and lottery-themed schemes to impersonation schemes. A few warning signs of crypto- or Bitcoin-based scams to look out for include, among others: directions to make financial transactions at machines while still on the phone with the other party, suggestions that the nature of the situation should be secretive or should not be shared with others, and/or insistence that crypto is the only form of acceptable payment to resolve a situation. Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker advises citizens that no legitimate business, entity, or individual will ask for advance payment using only cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

Safe Swimming Tips for Families

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker reminds residents that following best practices for water-based activities can help ensure that swimmers of all ages have a safe and happy time during these seasonal activities.

First and foremost, do not swim alone or allow children to swim unsupervised. Parents of very young children can help ensure their safety by installing fencing or barriers that disallow access to a pool when parents are not present to supervise. Parents of older kids should discuss the importance of staying out of the water when a responsible adult overseer is not present. Be it at the beach or a pool, avoid diffusion of water safety responsibility, as there can be a tendency in larger groups and gatherings to assume someone else will see an issue or raise an alarm if there is a problem. Swimmers of all ages can help prevent unexpected issues by keeping a flotation device on hand while in the water.

“When it’s everybody’s job to monitor kids in the pool, unfortunately it can become ‘nobody’s job,’” Tucker says, “so one of the most impactful water safety practices parents can implement is making sure that, at any given time, a single, responsible, and focused water safety monitor is assigned.”

Water safety monitors should be familiar with the signs of drowning, which often do not match the splashing and screaming depictions of drowning in movies and TV.

“If a swimmer is quiet or in distress, ask if they are okay,” Tucker advises. “If they cannot verbally respond with an affirmation that they are doing well, take immediate action and assume it is a drowning risk unless or until proven otherwise.”