Even though texting while driving is now illegal, government agencies continue to send text messages to motorists. In what the Daily News calls "an ironic communication breakdown," thousands of New York drivers receive texts about traffic and road conditions from government agencies despite a statewide ban on checking and sending texts while behind the wheel.

Some 25,000 New Yorkers receive Notify NYC alerts from the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications informing them of city emergencies as well as parking rules suspensions. And each month, the state Department of Transportation sends out hundreds of TransAlerts text messages and emails informing drivers of traffic jams and congestion. Though the texts may lure motorists into violating the law, a state DOT spokesman said such alerts are a valuable service and shouldn't be eliminated. "We have to make sure we don't throw out the baby with the bath water ... There are responsible ways to use these tools."