With new stricter state laws aimed at cracking down on texting while driving went into effect on Saturday, motorists will have to pay steeper fines and younger drivers could have their licenses suspended if caught using a hand-held phone while behind the wheel of a car.
Under the law, new and young drivers convicted of texting-while-driving will have their license suspended for 120 days on the first offense, and revoked for a year if convicted of a second or subsequent offense within six months of reissuance of the license.
Are the new texting while driving laws too strict or not strict enough?
The new state laws are too strict.
They aren't strict enough.
They are fine the way they are.
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More experienced motorists with also face heftier fines for repeat offenses. Drivers found to be using a hand-held phone twice within an 18-month period are currently fined $200. As of Saturday, the penalty will increase to $250, according to the Associated Press.
"Driving habits are developed early, and we are sending a message that texting while driving is unsafe, unacceptable and downright dangerous," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
"There have been far too many avoidable tragedies due to texting while driving and with these new penalties, we are seeking to change the behavior of young drivers now, and make New York's roadways safer for all."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. The age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
Tickets for texting have greatly increased in recent years after the state made it a primary offense rather than a secondary offense, WGRZ.com reports.
On Staten Island alone, a weeklong ticket blitz in May nabbed 143 Staten Island drivers on their phones.
Take our poll and tell us that you think about the new harsher state penalties for texting while driving.
Under the law, new and young drivers convicted of texting-while-driving will have their license suspended for 120 days on the first offense, and revoked for a year if convicted of a second or subsequent offense within six months of reissuance of the license.
Are the new texting while driving laws too strict or not strict enough?
The new state laws are too strict.
They aren't strict enough.
They are fine the way they are.
VoteView Results
More experienced motorists with also face heftier fines for repeat offenses. Drivers found to be using a hand-held phone twice within an 18-month period are currently fined $200. As of Saturday, the penalty will increase to $250, according to the Associated Press.
"Driving habits are developed early, and we are sending a message that texting while driving is unsafe, unacceptable and downright dangerous," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
"There have been far too many avoidable tragedies due to texting while driving and with these new penalties, we are seeking to change the behavior of young drivers now, and make New York's roadways safer for all."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. The age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
Tickets for texting have greatly increased in recent years after the state made it a primary offense rather than a secondary offense, WGRZ.com reports.
On Staten Island alone, a weeklong ticket blitz in May nabbed 143 Staten Island drivers on their phones.
Take our poll and tell us that you think about the new harsher state penalties for texting while driving.
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