New York Gets Tougher on Texting While Driving

In the fight to keep roadways safe, New York has strengthened its texting and hand-held phone bans for drivers.

In mid-July 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill making texting (sending, receiving or writing) while driving a primary offense. This means that law enforcement officers can pull over and ticket drivers who are texting while driving solely for texting while driving. Formerly, texting while driving was a secondary offense, meaning that drivers could only be ticketed after being pulled over for another driving offense.

Along with making texting while driving a primary offense, the new law would add two points on their licenses and up to $150 fine for drivers caught texting. Another provision of the bill increases the number of points on drivers' licenses for not using hands-free technology to talk on a cell phone while driving from 2 to 3 points.

While the potential penalties for texting while driving may seem harsh, they are strict for good reason. The penalties are meant to deter drivers from activities like distracted driving in order to save lives.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 20 percent of car accidents in 2009 involved a distracted driver. Further, the NHTSA reports that 5,474 people were killed and approximately 448,000 more were injured as a result of distracted driving in 2009. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) notes that drivers using a hand-held device, such as using a cell phone to text or check email, are four times as likely to be involved in an injury accident.

New York car accidents attorneys say that while fines are harsh, texting and other distracted driving bans are implemented for safety reasons.

Source: http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2011/Jul11/071111/071311-02.shtml