• 18
  • November
    2011

Holding the wheel in one hand, he was sending text messages using the smartphone in his other hand and at the same time holding a conversation with the unbelted passenger in the seat next to him. Within in minutes, he had hit the curb and was driving on the sidewalk.

Thankfully, this poor example of driving was all part of a video game-like simulator. In an effort to educate students about increased penalties for New York traffic and vehicle law as well as teach them about traffic safety, local law enforcement authorities are traveling to suburban New York schools with a "texting-while-driving" simulator.

The simulator, owned by a national auto insurance company, traveled to nine different high schools in Westchester County and was used to show students how distracted driving could result in accidents or traffic tickets.

Features of the simulator include requiring the driver to text while navigating city streets and highways and dealing with annoying passenger who refuses to wear a seat belt and often asks the driver to speed up. In addition to showing how such multi-tasking can lead to accidents, the simulator is also meant to teach and enforce a New York state law that took effect earlier this year.

Prior to July 2011, law enforcement officials could not ticket New York drivers for texting unless they had pulled them over for another offense, such as speeding, and discovered them to be illegally using their cell phones. However, the new law makes texting while driving a primary offense which means that if an officer sees a driver texting while behind the wheel, the driver can be pulled over and ticketed.

According to records from Westchester County, in the first two months of the new law being enacted, officers have issued 165 texting tickets. It is unknown how many tickets have been issued statewide for the offense, but authorities caution that they will continue to keep an eye out for texting drivers and they will be ticketed.

Source: Insurance Journal, "New York Students to See Danger of Texting While Driving," 11/16/11.