Stiffer Penalties for Juniors Caught Texting While Driving

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed into law a bill that would increase penalties for probationary and junior drivers caught using handheld phones while driving.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Carl Marcellino, R-Syosset, imposes a 60-day suspension for first conviction and a revocation of 60 days (for junior licenses) or 6 months (for probationary licenses) for subsequent convictions within 6 months of the time a license is restored after suspension. The law is effective immediately.

The new penalties are in line with the penalties currently imposed on junior and probationary drivers for violations such as speeding, reckless driving, or following too closely behind another vehicle.

“The image of a teenager spending hours talking on the phone is disappearing and it’s being replaced by the image of a teenager hunched over texting. It is second nature to young people," said Marcellino. "They do it all the time and when the day arrives that they get that all important driver’s license, they do not stop. The statistics are alarming and deadly, and avoidable."

With the new law, New York has some of the toughest laws against texting while driving in the nation. Last month, Cuomo directed the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to implement tougher penalties for texting-while-driving for all drivers. On June 1, 2013, DMV increased the number of points earned against an individual’s driving record upon conviction for texting-while-driving and cell-phone related infractions from three points to five points.

Tell us, what do you think of the new penalties for handheld cell phone use and texting while driving?