Assemblyman Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that today the Governor signed into law a bill to improve highway safety by increasing penalties on young and new drivers who text while driving – because inattention and inexperience is a deadly combination (A.7739).

“Even though state law bans texting while driving we are still seeing tragic accidents where young drivers are killed, severely injured, or harm others while they are trying to read or write a text message,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “I hope that this penalty increase on new and young drivers will help raise awareness of the dangers and seriousness of this issue, and cause people to think twice before texting while driving.”

This law would increase penalties for texting or using a cell phone while driving on two different categories of permits and licenses, including:

Probationary licenses:

• first offense is a 60-day license suspension; and
• second offense, if within six months of getting the license back, is a six-month license revocation.

Junior permits or licenses:

• first offense is a 60-day license suspension; and
• second offense, if within six months of getting the permit or license back, is a 60-day permit or license revocation.

These penalties are in line with the current law for probationary or junior license convictions related to speeding, reckless driving or following another vehicle too closely.

Currently, 43 percent of teenage drivers admit that they regularly text while driving, according to research released by the Pediatric Academic Societies. In addition, from 2005 to 2011, there has been an approximate 143 percent increase in cell phone-related crashes in New York State and from 2011 to 2012 there was a 234 percent increase in the number of tickets issued for texting while driving,¹ Assemblyman Stirpe noted.

“Our youth need to learn that they must wait to text until they are no longer behind the wheel. There is no text message that is important enough to put your life in danger,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “I hope this new law will help send that message.”

1. www.governor.ny.gov/press/05302013-texting-while-driving-penalties