Posted on 03/13/2009 2:38:41 PM PDT by ETL
The New York City Police Department issued more than 9,000 tickets yesterday to drivers caught using their cell phones while on the road.
The 24-hour citywide crackdown began at midnight yesterday.
It served as a reminder to New Yorkers that using a hand held cell phone while driving is illegal in the state. Drivers who were ticketed face a $120 fine.
Police say they normally issue around 500 tickets for cell phone use per day.
The National Safety Council says accidents caused by cell phone use while driving is blamed for nearly 2,600 deaths a year.
That's a good chunk of revenue for NYC.......
Is the law there regarding hand-held, where a bluetooth earpiece would be okay; or is it totally banning all cellphone usage in moving vehicles?
The fines should be 500 bucks...I can’t count how many times I have had a close call because some idiot was dialing my phone and not paying attention...
9000 tickets at $120 each = $1,080,000 of tax free revenue. Budget shortage? What budget shortage? just ratchet up the tyranny a bit.
I guess the city is much safer now that they taught these guys a lesson.
FRIGGIN PATHETIC!!
My cell phone doesn't decide to jump out the window while I'm doing 65 in traffic. My cell phone doesn't start licking my face, or start barking at the cell phone in the next car.
I use a cell phone with ear pieces and voice recognition. My cell phone certainly has never been as dangerous as driving with four children between 8 and 2.
Apparently all the real criminals are already in prison....
Yeah, it's better to go after these guys instead of gang members, drug dealers, terrorists, murderers, rapists, etc,etc,etc...
I feel much safer now.
Most people have no idea of what their puppy will look like after the airbag deploys.....a lap full of stewed tomatoes.
So you have gone Liberal? A government regulated behavior under penalty of a fine. What is wrong with applying a fine only to behavior that causes actual harm? Yankee idiots that ban the possession of firearms, and the use of personal communications devices are NOT conservatives. But thanks for all of your efforts for the Bluetooth laws. Plantronics (PLT)was a good buy in 1997 at $8 and change. They still pay a dividend to boot.
If that were the case, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, et al. would already be there.
Maybe out on some country highway, it’s okay to hold a cellphone in one hand and steer and signal with the other. But here in crowded New York City, esp Manhattan, it’s a serious problem.
There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. - Ayn Rand
Hands free devices are permitted here in NYC.
Freudian slip? ;)
"Welcome to the party line, pal!"
<grin>
Thanks.
I always use the hands-free when driving, as some communities have laws against hand-held, and you never know which town you are gonna find with the law in place, so you just play it safe.
Besides, it's way more convienient to not have to hold the phone on your ear and drive.
Out here in the FREE states, we talk on cell phones and even have handguns in our glove boxes, no permit required.
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