Albany, NY – Governor Paterson Introduces Bill to Make Texting While Driving a Primary Offense

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    Albany, NY – Governor David A. Paterson has submitted to the Legislature Program Bill No. 222, which would make New York State’s law against using a cell phone or texting while driving more effective by raising a violation of the law from a secondary offense to a primary offense.

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    “This bill will take the handcuffs off our law enforcement officers and make our highways safer by allowing officers to observe a violation and immediately issue a summons,” Governor Paterson said. “There is nothing more important than the safety of all New Yorkers, and by increasing the offense level of the current law, law enforcement officers will be better able to protect them and save lives.”

    Under the current law, a violation is only subject to secondary enforcement; that is, a motorist cannot be stopped and issued a summons for using a portable electronic device alone. Instead, a police officer can only pull a driver over and issue a ticket if the driver is both using a cell phone or texting and has also committed another traffic violation.

    The Governor’s Program Bill would change the violation to a primary offense, allowing officers to stop a motorist who is using a portable electronic device without first having to observe another violation of the law.

    Distracted driving is a major safety concern. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 16 percent of fatal accidents in 2008 were due to distracted driving. Text messaging while driving is especially dangerous and prevalent. According to a Nationwide Insurance study, an estimated 20 percent of all drivers, and 66 percent of drivers aged 18 to 24, are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel.

    Additionally, a study released recently by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were text messaging were 23 times more at risk of a crash or near crash. Another study compared reaction times of a driver who was text messaging to those of a driver who was intoxicated, and found that the reaction times while text messaging were worse.

    Governor Paterson added: “As these studies make clear, any kind of distraction while driving is dangerous, and texting while driving is one of the most dangerous distractions possible, which is why it is so important to crack down on this offense for the safety and well being of everyone traveling on New York’s roads.”


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    19 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    The first smart thing I heard from him!! Hope it becomes law

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    This is because he is legaly blind and does not understand the standard motorist.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Now that’s a good way to get out of the deficit

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    They should extend this to all such mishugaas while driving including putting on makeup or tefillin (which I routinely see driving in on the Thruway and Palisades Pkwy to the city).

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I hope they come out with a law that all vehicles have a device that shuts down all phones when the motor is running.

    Darwin
    Darwin
    14 years ago

    If it didn’t put other drivers at risk, I’d say let them do it. It’s yet another classic case of the Darwin Effect where stupid people remove themselves from the gene pool.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    How about putting on makeup and eating breakfast while driving or shaving and holding the dog in the lap while driving or
    ……..

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    This is retarted memoonefshech. If you are a bad driver – then they are bound to get into an accident without texting and if its a good driver then they can text and drive. So this is a crazy law. Like the “rindel” from bread, whoever likes it eats it and whoever doesn’t like it doesn’t eat it. Why should the government get involved in the breakfast menus of its citizens?

    Malkie
    Malkie
    14 years ago

    I can drive, talk on the cell phone and put on eye makeup or nail polish at the same time. I’m talented so why prevent me from doing these.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    “Instead, a police officer can only pull a driver over and issue a ticket if the driver is both using a cell phone or texting and has also committed another traffic violation.”

    Either this is false or all those cell phone tickets I got should have been dismissed, as i committed no other infraction at the time.

    blocknessmonster
    blocknessmonster
    14 years ago

    In NJ they are already pulling people over who the cops claim are texting when their phones weren’t on. Happened to my friend.