Legislator Kevan Abrahams calls for tougher laws on texting and driving

Nassau County legislators Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) and Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) are encouraging state lawmakers to toughen the law on texting while driving, a dangerous practice they say needs to be better enforced.

“Studies show that one in five drivers is texting while driving,” Abrahams, whose district represents Baldwin, said at a March 24 press conference at a Garden City gas station. “Do you want to be driving near that person on the L.I.E. while they are going 65 miles per hour? I sure don’t. More has to be done to deter drivers, especially young people, to put the phone down while driving.”

Last year, the county passed a law banning texting while driving. The bill was introduced by Jacobs and sponsored by Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin). Later, Albany passed its own law, making it illegal statewide to text while driving.

But there are problems with the current laws, the Democratic lawmakers explained. A police officer cannot pull over a driver simply for texting; the driver must have committed another traffic violation as well. Because of this loophole, the lawmakers said, Nassau police have written tickets to just 18 people for texting while driving. Abrahams and Jacobs are calling on the state to make texting while driving a primary offense, which would carry a $300 fine. It is currently a secondary offense, carrying a $150 fine.

“The current law lacks the wallop it needs to make people sit up and listen and to give law enforcement officers the ability to pull a driver over for texting without the need for that officer to observe another violation of the law,” Jacobs said.

Abrahams and Jacobs said they plan to visit Nassau high schools to explain the dangers of texting while driving, and to urge students to sign a pledge to never text and drive. According to the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, texting while driving is on the level of drinking and driving in terms of danger for teens.

Parents can also get involved in prevention efforts, the lawmakers explained, by utilizing text-disabling programs such as "Textecution" and "Zoomsafer." These programs disable a phone when the driver is going more than 10 miles per hour, therefore limiting use to when a driver is at a stop light or parked.

In addition, Abrahams and Jacobs have called on County Executive Ed Mangano to ban cell phone use by county employees driving county vehicles.

The message, Abrahams said, is that residents need to focus on driving when behind the wheel, not on texting.

"Put the phone down," he said, "before someone gets hurt.”