On behalf of Kammholz Law PLLC posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, April 26, 2012.
Law enforcement has tackled the dangerous habit of distracted driving among drivers in recent years. A law was passed last summer that prohibits the use of handheld devices behind the wheel. Not only is using a handheld device prohibited, but if officials see a driver violating the distracted driving law, they can pull the suspect over for that offense alone. The battle against cell phone use and texting while driving is so important because of the number of preventable car accidents that occur as a result of the reckless behavior. States have various laws and campaigns against distracted driving, and a special New York campaign is going on through Sunday that aims to increase driver awareness. Does Operation Hang Up sound familiar? It probably does to many drivers across the state of New York, as the same campaign hit the streets last Thanksgiving season. Within the duration of the last campaign, law enforcement in the state handed out a reported 800 citations to drivers caught using handheld devices behind the wheel. With this being the second time around for the Operation Hang Up campaign, logic would tell us that fewer people would risk using their phones while driving. But experience proves that habits die hard, and, unfortunately, drivers, passengers and pedestrians can die because of that tragic fact. The traffic safety campaign is a week-long, and it will end on Sunday. Law enforcement will put more focus on finding and citing distracted drivers. Those caught in the act will be fined and earn points on their driver’s licenses. Punishing drivers and collecting money from them, however, is not the primary goal of this campaign or the distracted driving law. Driving in New York is dangerous enough already without drivers losing focus on the roads due to unnecessary calls and texts. These rules are about saving lives. Source: CBS New York, “New York State Police To Target Distracted Drivers During Operation Hang Up,” April 23, 2012