The state is increasing the penalty for using a cell phone while driving.
While it’s been illegal for years, starting Wednesday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles will impose two points on the driving records of anyone found guilty of using a cell phone while behind the wheel.
That’s in addition to the $100 fine offenders already face.
Those who get caught texting while driving also face points and fines.
The DMV hopes the laws remind New Yorkers of the dangers of distracted driving.
“We hope it to be a deterrent much in the way that when the seat belt law was first drafted decades ago,” said David Sampson, executive deputy commissioner of the DMV. “At first there was a very little compliance with it and now New York States leads the nation with 90 percent seat belt use. We hope we can have the same impact because distracted driving has now become one of the most serious problems on our highways today.”
Officials say it was the imbalance between violations for texting while driving versus talking while driving that led to the new, harsher rule.
“If you text while driving it’s a two point violation and a $150 fine while cell phone use was only a $100 fine and no points. So by drafting this new regulation it will make distracted driving laws consistent," Sampson said.
Most motorists who spoke with NY1 say they agree with the harsher penalty because it will encourage drivers to watch the road ahead.
“It’s your license. Now it’s going on your record and for something silly like talking on the phone, I mean, come on. You gotta drive, you gotta keep your eyes on the road and that’s basically the way you should do it. It’s people’s safety," said one driver.
“At some point we have to stop these things just shut up and drive. It’s that important,” said one auto repair shop owner.
The DMV estimates that one in five crashes in the state is caused by distracted drivers, resulting in 5,000 deaths last year
I don’t see how bluetooth is any safer to be honest. If you’re going to ban phones, ban BT too.
Why? Cause some people drive with one hand anyway. What difference does it make if one hand is holding a phone or not holding a phone? Your mind is still talking to someone and paying attention to the conversation whether through a physical phone or through a hands free device.
Good. People should be paying more attention anyway. Can’t recall how many close calls I’ve had with idiots more in tune with their BFF via their blackberry than the road in front of them.
Pull the fuck over, or spend $20 and get a headset.
See my post above. The mind is still wandering. Getting a headset isn’t going to help most people.
I’ve recently witnessed some utter stupidity at work. I mean, people are DUMB. We sent out an email that said ONLY DO THIS IF YOU WORK REMOTELY and people at the home office were following the instructions…like half the company.
Headset or actual phone, people will still lose focus and crash. At least that’s what I see.
So it’s illegal for me to be looking at my GPS in my hand, but I can be totally distracted as I look at it mounted somewhere else in the car.
So I can’t read anything on my phone, yet it’s legal to read through the entire newspaper on the passenger seat.
Just cause you are not using your other hand for a phone doesn’t mean you’re not holding your coffee with it.
If somebody has a mind set of allowing themselves to be distracted on the road, outlawing hand held cellphone use won’t stop them from being distracted. They could be just staring at the side of the road thinking “oh I’ve never seen that bush before there” as they plow into the back of your car or kill you on the bike :facepalm
I’m sure people will disagree with my post, but I firmly believe this. This is my opinion and you can label me a conspiracy theorist if you want :lol.
Driving is like playing a sport. Some people just suck at it. Period.
Taking away their phones, GPS’s, radios, etc. might make SOME of them better, but those people who are inherently bad will continue to drive terribly.
Most laws are aimed at catching unsuspecting or ‘willing to risk it’ people to increase revenue. I’ve said this before and will say it again till I’m blue in the face. My favorite example? Tint (which I was stopped for today although the cop was awesome about it [thank you Officer J. Cross of the Bethlehem PD]). This is why the texting law when it was first made was a secondary offence meaning you couldn’t be pulled over JUST for texting (had this happen to me). They wanted to see how many people they’d actually catch and if they could make money on it. Once they figured out everyone texted, they thought, “Hmm…we can make a killing.” And what happens? It becomes a primary offence a short while later. If it was about safety, they would have made it a primary offence to begin with.
In FL it’s okay to have 10% tint and cop safety is not a concern. It gets super hot in FL.
In NY, it’s not okay to have 10% and cop safety is the main ‘reason’. NY averages in the 80’s and sometimes 90’s during the summer and SOMETIMES…even gets to 100+. I’d say it gets pretty hot in NY during the summer.
But yet, we aren’t allowed to have dark tints. Why? Are our cops more important than FL cops? Is 85* vs 105* really that much of a difference? It’s hot regardless.
It’s a way for the state to make money on those people who don’t care or are willing to risk it (I am pleading guilty to my ticket and will pay the fine(s) till I’m blue in the face). All of my cars will ALWAYS be tinted.
Same goes for phones. If you risk having it out and getting caught, money for them (which somehow doesn’t seem to make it back to us via better roads, etc.). You could crash because you sneezed, maybe we should ban sneezing in cars too (I know this is an extreme, but you get the point).
