New York Car Accident Lawyer: Distracted Driving - Talking on the Phone and Driving in New York will Result in 2 Points on your License.

 In an effort to reduce the high number of accidents caused by distracted drivers, New York State became the first state to make it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving. The original law was passed almost a decade ago, and since then, many other states have followed New York's lead in banning talking on a cell phone while driving. To make the law more comprehensive, on November 1, 2009, New York State lawmakers passed a bill banning "all drivers from using portable electronic devices, such as cell phones and smart phones, to send text messages or e-mails while driving." The law defined the pertinent terms as: (a) "Portable electronic device" shall mean any hand-held mobile telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with mobile data access, laptop computer, pager, broadband personal communication device, two-way messaging device, electronic game, or portable computing device. (b) "Using" shall mean holding a portable electronic device while viewing, taking or transmitting images, playing games, or composing, sending, reading, viewing, accessing, browsing, transmitting, saving or retrieving e-mail, text messages, or other electronic data.

To further crack-down on distracted drivers, New York State again took the lead in punishing drivers who talk on a cell phone while driving. Effective February 16th, 2011, in addition to the monetary fine and ticket, drivers caught talking on their cell phone while driving will have two (2) points added to their driving record. Lawyer office in Pennsylvania. As we all know, points on one' license will lead to higher insurance premium. In additional to the increased insurance premium, an accumulation of eleven points over an eighteen month period may lead to the eventual suspension of the offending driver's license. This is in line with a similar law which imposes two (2) points against the driving record of drivers who are caught texting while driving. According to a New York car accident lawyer, "the new law will help to reduce the amount of motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers who are distracted by cell phone conversations while driving."

Most New York injury attorneys would agree that the addition of points is a good idea in deterring drivers who drive and talk on their cell phone. Prior to the new law, you often see people driving and talking on the phone even though there was an existing law where the offender could be fined and ticketed. The fine and ticket alone wasn't much of a deterrent for people who habitually engage in such activity which has been proven to cause serious accidents some resulting in death. The fact is; distracted drivers are more likely to cause accidents resulting in serious bodily injuries and even death. As a New York motor vehicle accident lawyer puts it, "the two (2) points to the license will not stop everyone from driving and talking on their cell phone but it will make some offenders think twice about engaging in such a dangerous practice."