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TEXTING: A man uses multiple mobile devices while parked in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. A new law signed by Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday increase penalties for using hand-held devices while driving. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)
NEW YORK—Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law in Albany on Wednesday that increases using a hand-held electronic device while driving from a secondary to a primary traffic offense. This means that law enforcement can now stop a vehicle based solely on this reason.
“It’s plain and simple. Distracted driving leads to tragedies that have affected families all across New York,” Cuomo said. “This new law will help ensure that drivers keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.”
The law goes into effect immediately. The penalty for violation will be a fee of up to $150. Using the phone as a GPS attached to a surface in the vehicle is still allowed. Police officers, fire fighters, and emergency vehicle drivers are exempt, as are drivers trying to contact law enforcement during an emergency.
The penalty for using a cell phone without a hands-free device will increase from two to three points.
The bill passed in May. State Sen. Carl Marcellino, who sponsored the legislation, said the state could not afford to wait any longer to make this a primary offense.
“Text messaging is the ultimate distraction, taking all focus and attention off the road,” Marcellino said. “If you’re driving, that fraction of a second that you take your eye off the road can be the difference between life and death.”
“With this legislation, New York State driving laws have finally caught up with today’s technology,” he added.
Marcellino’s stance against cell phone usage while driving goes back to 2001, when he sponsored a bill making New York the first state to ban usage of hand-held phones while driving.
State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg sponsored this legislation in the Assembly and said that as a former police officer, he’s seen firsthand the “devastation caused by distracted drivers.”According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving caused 16 percent of fatal accidents in 2009 and 20 percent of the injuries caused by crashes.
