Last updated April 12, 2019
New York State Police have kicked off a campaign that will last all week in a bid to force drivers to keep their eyes on the road and off their new or old cell phones. Operation Hang Up is the name of the campaign that intends to crack down on the use of cellular devices while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and it will see state troopers patrolling in both marked and unmarked police cars getting tough on those who use their cell phones while driving, including for the purposes of texting.
Statistics have proven that drivers who use their cell phones to make a telephone call while they are behind the wheel of a motor vehicle are as many as four times more likely to end up having a crash, with the risk increasing to 23 times for those use their cell phones for the purposes of texting. A similar campaign is set to be launched sometime in the next couple of months by the Broome County Sherriff’s Office.
The penalty for the use of such hands-on devices while driving in New York is three points being added onto your license. “You would think that three points on someone’s license would be a deterrent,” says Captain Fred Akshar from the Broome County Sherriff’s Office. “However it’s not because you see that the numbers are still up and that’s why we’re having these campaigns.”