Article

NY law bans cell phones in cars

To be prosecuted under the law, the driver must be holding a cell phone to his ear while their vehicle is in motion
Odilia Velasquez - Staff Writer

New Yorkers will have to find someplace else to make their phone calls now that the state has enacted a law that bans cell phone use in cars.

A warning period is in effect from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30 during which law enforcement officials can stop people for violating the cell phone law. As of Dec. 1, 2001 the law will be enforced to its full extent.

To be prosecuted under the law, the driver must be holding a cell phone to his ear while their vehicle is in motion. Passengers in the car will not be punished for using a cell phone.

The State University of New York Police - Binghamton said they will be pulling over drivers that are not following this policy. A violation of this section will be a traffic infraction and will be punishable by a fine of no more than one hundred dollars. This policy, however, does not authorize the seizure of the mobile phone.

According to a legal bulletin issued by University Police, an emergency exception allows motorists to use a hand-held phone during an emergency to communicate with an emergency response operator, ambulance, fire department, police department, hospital, physician’s office or health clinic.

The Verizon Wireless company said the sales of cell phones have not been affected. According to a Verizon representative, “Business is still booming, nothing has gone down. It seems like everyone wants a phone.” The representative added that the sale of headset devices has skyrocketed. “People are buying headsets more than ever now.”

The Verizon representative said soon there would be a new “no dial” feature added to advanced cellular phones. Verizon believes that sales will increase because of the convenience of having this advanced feature. This new feature will be voice-activated, so that a person will not have to use their hands to dial the number.

Enas Bazaz, an economics major, is in favor of this law. “It’s really hard to keep track of the road while conversing with someone. A person should be responsible and take extra precautions while on the road.”

She agrees with this policy because having a conversation “can distract some people and take their attention away from the road.” Bazaz added, “This policy will make the road safer for inexperienced drivers, because even experienced drivers cause accidents.”

Other people are totally against this policy. Mario Mocombe, a junior judaic studies major, said, “Whether or not someone is holding a cell phone or using a hands-free cell phone, their attention is still being distracted. This is just a conspiracy to raise cell phone sales on hand-held devices and expensive phones with advanced features.”