Earlier this year, the New York Senate adopted a tougher stance against texting while driving, approving a bill that fortifies existing laws against the act.
New York is one of 32 states (in addition to the District of Columbia) in which TWD bans are in place to encourage motorists to keep their eyes and hands on the wheel. Legislators have devoted a considerable amount of time in strengthening laws that will help facilitate enforcement and increase penalties for infractions.
Judging from a statement issued last week by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, these efforts appear to be paying off. Cuomo reported that law enforcement had doled out more than twice as many tickets for TWD offenses in New York during August 2011 as compared to the August 2010.
Driving Disobedience
Police officers ticketed a total of 1,082 drivers for using a handheld device while operating a vehicle during August, which represented the first full month that the stricter laws were in effect. This is a marked uptick from the average number of citations for a given month. The Governor had introduced legislation to deter the use of handheld mobile devices while driving in June, signing new penalties into law in July. From January to June, state law enforcement issued a monthly average of 427 tickets to motorists for TWD-related offenses.
"We were serious when this law passed: texting while driving is illegal and the law is being enforced, so don't do it," Governor Cuomo said.
The more stringent legislation makes texting-while-driving a primary offense, which means that police officers can now pull over a driver solely for a suspected texting violation. In addition, the updated laws also increased the fine for violation to $150 and a penalty of three points (formerly TWD was a two-point offense).
"[It] has enabled police officers to pull over drivers for the sole offense of using a handheld device," said Barbara J. Fiala, Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. "We have heard the devastating stories of those killed by distracted drivers, and these new protections were clearly long overdue."
The auto insurance implications are not yet clear, but NY drivers who violate the law may be subject to higher auto insurance rates, depending on an insurance carrier's coverage stipulations.
Fiala, Joseph A. D'Amico, superintendent of the New York State Police, Senator Carl L. Marcellino, and Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg all publicly praised the measures and Cuomo specifically for pushing for the law, adding that it has helped to educate the public and keep the state's roadway safer.
Source: Governor Cuomo's Press Office
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