In an attempt to put an end to texting and driving, New York has begun to promote ‘texting zones’ or ‘text stops’ along the roadways for drivers to park.
Governor, Andrew Cuomo announced that measures would be taken to stop texting while driving. 300 new signs along the highways of New York will read, “It can wait: text stop 5 miles.”
A list of ‘Text Stop’ locations can be found here.
These zones will be located in the parking lots of existing rest stops – to ensure that the pullout spots are in safe locations. Cuomo has also stiffened penalties for driving while distracted (motorists are subject to receiving five penalty points on their licenses instead of three, and are subject to a $150 fine) in hopes that the poor habits of motorists can be corrected.
Officers in the area also staged a ‘crackdown’ lasting from July 4th – September 2nd of 2013 which resulted in 21,580 tickets, com aired to the 5,208 tickets written last year for distracted driving during the same time period. – A 365% increase in ticketing.
Sources