• 04
  • January
    2012

Last July, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo passed a law making it illegal to use handheld electronic devices while driving. Due to this new legislation, the state of New York was able to begin "Operation Hang Up" during this past holiday season. Operation Hang Up targeted drivers using their cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.

As result of the initiative, New York police issued 816 texting tickets over Thanksgiving - 330 of them can be directly attributed to the Operation Hang Up sting. The sting was funded by the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Since the new law went into effect in July 2011, approximately 1,000 texting tickets have been issued each month in New York. This is more than double the previous 430 per month average.

A ticket for texting while driving may cost as much as $160 plus a three point insurance penalty.

Texting and driving has created widespread concern in New York and throughout the U.S. Drivers using handheld electronic devices are four times more likely to be in injury-causing car accidents.

As long as officials remain focused on eliminating texting while driving in New York, it is likely that organized stings - such as the Operation Hang Up one in late November - will continue to occur. These stings typically involve stationing an unmarked police car in busy traffic settings; the police car blends in with surrounding traffic, making it easier to detect distracted drivers.

Despite increased enforcement efforts, drivers who "keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel" need not worry in 2012.

Related resource: NY Daily News, "Operation Hang Up To Target Distracted Drivers."