State Considers Banning Texting While Driving

State Senator Carl Marcellino of Oyster Bay and Assemblyman Felix Ortiz of Brooklyn are co-sponsoring a bill to stop drivers from text messaging while driving. Last month, an SUV driven by a 17-year-old girl crashed into a tractor trailer upstate in Ontario County. The SUV's driver, Bailey Goodman, and the four friends in the car all died on impact (the tractor trailer's driver was uninjured).

Investigators found that text messages had been sent from and to Goodman's cell phone shortly before the crash; Goodman also spoke on the cell phone a few minutes before the crash. It will never be known if Goodman had written the text messages herself, but the Ontario County sheriff said, "Cell phones are a distraction and could be a contributing cause in this accident."

There have also been questions about whether Goodman was permitted to drive at night and with non-relative passengers under 21, because she only had a junior license. Ortiz, who has sponsored a lot of legislation banning or restricting the use of cell phones while driving (including the current ban on non-hands-free cellphone use), said, "It's a shame that it may take a tragedy like this for this bill to move forward."

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By Jen Chung in News on July 17, 2007 2:25 PM

Comments [rss]

TKaisen

Go back to Oyster Bay, cocksucker.

Never been there. Fail again.

Cry some more, though. It's cute.

bxbrian

Tkaisen,

Go back to Oyster Bay, cocksucker.

guest

This goes to all you Knuckle-heads who feel they need to be connected at all times . Grow the F*ck-up ! Ur ruining the technological advances currently available to responsible folk like me ! If Ur not smart enough to know that Texting, while Driving is one of the stupidest things to do, Then you are as Stupid,& Retarded as I perceive you to be ! Just look at what the State has come to terms with here . They now want to create a law banning You from doing something that you should be smart enough to know not to do in the first place . I tell you, [90]% of all drivers are dumb asses-Self centered-pricks ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

TKaisen

You walk 70 mph down Broadway?

....... Because texting while driving on a crowded city street is oh-so-safe?

Fail.

ed_Extinct

considers? it should be a done deal.

guest

at least the stupid driver won't be able to breed and spawn equally stupid children. pity about the other girls. glad thd truck driver wasn't hurt.

Reality Czech

Basically the drinking age should be 16 and the driving age 21.

bxbrian

@Tkaisen

You walk 70 mph down Broadway?

zodak

i'm just glad they haven't banned solving sudoku puzzles while driving.

TKaisen

You stole the words from my mouth. I hate to say it, but Albany really does serve the needs of the 'burbs (and out of the way areas in the middle of the state) before NYC

....... Because texting while driving on a crowded city street is oh-so-safe?

guest

Putting on makeup, brushing your hair, changing your shoes, looking for a breath mint, changing the radio are ALSO detrimental behaviors while driving, but no one's going after cosmetic companies or XM Radio...

JMH

Generally speaking, they should make the requirements for getting a driver's license stricter. There are way too many fucking morons on the road.

bxbrian

@ Alex

You stole the words from my mouth. I hate to say it, but Albany really does serve the needs of the 'burbs (and out of the way areas in the middle of the state) before NYC. It's absurd that the only laws passing are the unenforceable ones.

Ace

"State Considers Banning Texting While Driving"

There's nothing to consider. It should be law!

joeBoy

As far as I'm concerned, having a phone in your hand, and your eyes anywhere other than on the road should be totally illegal and heavily fined. You should be able to recieve (not send) calls, via a hands-free headset or car speaker system only.

The fact that there are people who actually send text messages while driving only serves to confirm the fact that even the morbidly stupid are eligible to drive in this country, thus endangering the lives of everyone around them.

emilydickinson

Maybe they should ban driving with a blindfold on as well. Whatever happened to common sense?

schmod

I think the purpose of this is more to be able to punish/fine people who cause accidents while texting. It's probably not enforceable on its own, but it's definitely one of those things that are stupid enough to be illegal.

mocanlagunas

Hopefully they'll be able to ban stupidity once and for all... any moron can get a license in this country...

Toby von Meistersinger

You would think that this would have been covered in the cell phone while driving ban.

God, Trenton is looking more competent than Albany these days.

guest

"Any driver who causes an accident through deliberate failure to drive properly will have any taxpayer-financed benefits reduced. They will also be "last served" for any scarce medical and/or financial benefits or resources."

They can choose how they want to behave. But they can not use taxpayer money to recover from that behaviour. And they can not jump ahead of someone more deserving for, say, blood or organs.

Signed: Liberal But Not Guilty