Alright, beyond the political aspects of this… is this going to make any difference? (IMO not at all.) We’re all paying for the signs…
… the initiative doesn’t require any new construction since existing rest stops and parking areas along thruways and highways are technically being re-branded as the safe places to pull over and text.
What is being added are a total of 298 signs along highways across the state to make motorists aware of the upcoming spots where they can stop and safely check their phones. The signs carry messages like “It can wait” in addition to how close the next Texting Zone is, reassuring drivers that they won’t have to actually wait long to respond to a text, or see what their friends think of a photo they recently Instagrammed.
State Police have been using Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of the operation in order to more easily identify motorists who are texting while driving. CITE vehicles are SUVs that have platforms higher than an average vehicle, allowing officers greater ability to see into other vehicles and detect individuals in the process of sending text messages. The State Police fleet of CITE vehicles are unmarked and come in a variety of colors to ensure that they blend in with traffic on the road. They are also equipped with hidden high intensity emergency lights.
When they take elderly driving re-testing seriously, I will take these other “ineffective” laws more serious.
NYS cannot even administer a change in law correctly…they call out the Move Over law and I get in a near accident every day because people are trying to cram over into the center lane instead of understanding the part of the law that says “When safe to do so”
I was surprised when I read awhile ago that the tickets issued for texting havent been that high. On any given commute home from work, I see probably 5 people swerving or fading into the other lane because they are texting. How is it not super obvious?
Its not gonna get better till they start handing tickets out like fucking candy.
I feel bad for you guys… didnt they already address inattentive driving with a “wreckless driving ticket.” why do they need more laws… start enforcing the ones you already have. ugh
they really bought a bunch of lifted unmarked suburbans just to bust people texting? nevermind the fact that the troopers doing this are making 100k+ before benefits.
what happened to cops working for the people? i’m sure western new Yorkers would appreciate these troopers cruising downtown and the east side looking to deter violent crime a lot more than making sure high schoolers aren’t texting and driving
I would much rather the gangbangers stay down in the east side and take each other out than the cops give up on the generation of teenagers who decide that sending a txt message to their friend about what they are going to Friday night and they swerve into my lane and ruin my day.
There is a story about a an old man that was crossing the road to get his mail, who was sliced in half by a young teenage girl who had her head buried behind her steering wheel txting her friends. Another of a young kid who was killed when he received a txt, reached down to read it and swerved in front of an oncoming semi.
I guess my point is this. I have less of a chance of getting shot by a gangbanger than I do of getting blindsided by a teenager who decided that sending that txt message is more important than keeping control of their 2,000+ lb. death machine.
Sure, the signs are going to cost the taxpayers money, but what doesn’t these days? Would you rather have him go back to gun control?
Not saying I am for or against these signs but just a thought, it seems like texting in 2 way traffic is 1000 times more dangerous. I see people coming over the centerline at least once a day just on my way to work and back. If you have ever been in a head-on and spent days in the hospital this sends chills up your spine.
The new, unmarked Chevy Tahoes are modified so that the police officer driving them sits up much higher than normal, allowing them to peer down into your crotchal region. For phones, of course, no other reason. It’s supposedly really effective. At catching texters, not at crotch-peering.
