Aug 15, 2008 6:25 pm US/Eastern
Ban On Texting While Driving Coming To NYC
NYC Councilman's Plan: New Yorkers Or Anyone Entering City Would Face $100 Fine On First Offense
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Distractions like text messaging lead to 25 percent of all car crashes.
CBS
It's illegal to talk on hand-held cell phones while driving. Now, a New York City Councilman wants to ban text-massaging behind the wheel.
As CBS 2 HD found out, anyone caught would have to pay a steep price.
Of course, no one coming into Manhattan over the George Washington Bridge on Friday morning would admit to texting while driving, but, sure, they've seen lots of other people indulge in the dangerous driving habit.
"Oh never, I yelled at my cousin for doing it," said Rick Feuerstein of New Jersey.
"I'd be parked. Not when I am driving," said Dominique Singletary of New York City.
And that's why NYC Councilman David Weprin unveiled a bill on Friday that would fine drivers $100 the first time they are caught sending or reading text messages while driving.
"The problem is that texting can certainly lead to accidents," Weprin said.
According to Weprin, it's a generational issue. Usually teenagers and early 20-somethings are the ones who text and drive. But with more and more people using BlackBerrys, older people are now doing it as well.
And the studies bear this out. A 2006 survey by Nationwide auto insurance found that 19 percent of drivers text while at the wheel. That number jumped to 37 percent among drivers 18 to 27.
And Weprin's own family was the inspiration for the bill.
"The thought of my new driver – my 17-year-old twins texting and driving, it's a really scary thought," Weprin said.
And a Manhattan psychiatrist say fines may be the only way to deter this risky behavior.
"It's hard to get people to change their reckless behavior unless you punish them with fines, probably a good idea," said Dr. Michael First of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Only four states, including New Jersey, have banned texting while driving but bills are pending in 16 others.
Councilman Weprin said he was first inspired to pursue this ban after a crash last summer in upstate New York killed five teenage girls.
Investigators believe the driver's cell phone was sending text messages right as her car collided with a tractor-trailer.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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