New York is Cracking Down on Texting While Driving

NYC is cracking down on texting while driving.
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We’ve all seen the heart wrenching Public Service Announcements warning against the very real dangers of texting while driving. If harrowing true stories of fatalities at the hand of someone who was driving while distracted weren’t enough, statistics reports are published annually that reveal the staggering number of lives lost due to texting and driving. In 2011 alone, there were an astounding 25,165 fatal and personal injury crashes involving distracted driving in New York, a number that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has worked tirelessly throughout his time in office to lessen.

Cuomo, state and local police officers, and community members from town and cities all over the state are making a notable effort to assure the public that distracted driving will not be tolerated in New York. Governor Cuomo has traveled across the state with survivors and family members of those lost to cell phone-related accidents to express the dangers of texting while driving. He has garnered support from some of the most prominent organizations in New York City, particularly the Battery Park City Authority, of which he is a board member. The board is comprised of passionate people from the community like local business leader Carl Mattone and Martha J. Gallo, a prominent Lower Manhattan community member and mother of two teenage girls, that want to keep New York residents safe.  

Governor Cuomo is also a father of three teenagers, which makes him painfully aware of the dangers that face his own children and of the values that need to be instilled in New York’s youth in regards to responsible driving. Through a combination of strategies including newly implemented highway “Text Stop” spaces, programs that raise public awareness, and legal penalties for texting and driving, it is clear that New York is cracking down on distracted driving. In a recent press release Governor Cuomo explains, “New York State is continuing to use every tool at its disposal to combat texting while driving.” Of the newly designated 91 “Text Stops” across the state he says, “With this new effort, we are sending a clear message to drivers that there is no excuse to take your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road.”

Only time and statistical evidence will reveal whether or not New York’s efforts to reduce fatalities caused by texting while driving are succeeding, but its message is clear: If you are caught texting while behind the wheel, you will be harshly penalized.