Blow a stop sign, speed, or turn without signaling, and a cop can see it, stop you, and ticket you. Even talking on a hand-held cell phone (illegal in New York) can be seen from outside your car. But texting-while-driving is different. How does a cop “catch” you doing it? Most texters keep their phone down on their lap or at least below the window line, so a cop traveling behind, or even beside the texter, is not going to see it happen.
Until now. New York has recently given State Troopers thirty-two tall, unmarked SUVs for the express purpose of peering down at drivers’ hands and catching them “red-handed”.
This reminds me of a funny scene from the 1960’s Peter Sellers’ film, “A Shot in the Dark”, where Peter Sellers and a young lady end up having to escape naked in a small car. They are able to navigate the narrow streets of Paris without other motorists noticing they are naked, until a tall tourist bus pulls up next to them. Hilarious. See the scene here.
Anyway, this new “peering down at you” trick is part of Governor Cuomo’s aggressive attack on texting-while-driving, which includes steeper penalties and establishing “Texting Zones” designed to encourage motorists to pull over for texting.
So over the Thanksgiving break — and beyond — keep your hands “above board”. Don’t text yourself into a ticket, or worse, into a graveyard.
Keep safe!
Mike Bersani
Email me at: bersani@mbk-law.com I’d love to hear from you!
Michael G. Bersani, Esq.
mbk-law.com Central NY Personal Injury Lawyers
Michaels Bersani Kalabanka
1-315-253-3293