Diversion Program Saves Time and Money for Persons Caught Texting While Driving

You’re at a stop light, texting when a cop pulls up in the next lane. You know better and now you’re the proud owner of a piece of paper with your name and a court date on it. You could easily pay the fine, absorb the points against your record and get on with your life.

Considering where in New York you live, you may also get the opportunity to clear your record.

Like most states, New York’s traffic laws limit the use of handheld mobile devices while driving. Like most states, New York law enforcement has written a considerable amount of tickets to citizens using the devices.

One program, in Nassau County, permits drivers-caught-in-the-act to install a device which monitors their Smartphone use while the car is moving. If the person doesn’t flunk out within three-months, the points against their driving record are removed.

The program isn’t free to participate. Besides covering the fine that came with the citation, there’s a charge for the in-car device of about $125. Still, it’s cheaper than collecting the five points toward a license suspension.

“New York traffic cops were issuing a vast amount of distracted driving-related tickets each month, and about 35% were repeat offenders,” said CellControl‘s Vice President Jesse Hoggard. “Nassau County’s leadership got tired of the disregard for the statute.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in a 2015 survey, shows a steady increase since the numbers were first tracked in 2006.

The answer, called DriveID, tracks texting and gives the courts a detailed report at the end of the three-month program. The method limits accessibility to text, email, and games on each device connected with the DriveID gadget.

Forty-six states have anti-texting laws, but only 14 have anti-handheld cellphone statutes.

Efforts including random enforcement, such as checkpoints, help stop the activity in the short term, but social normalization of texting has to be reversed to show long-term success.

“I categorize distracted driving in the same category as speeding,” said Kara Macek, communications director for the Governors Highway Safety Association.

“From the perspective of the NHTSA, the program is moving forward. Unlike spot enforcement, the three-month probation could be long enough to reform some of the bad habits some drivers have,” she added.