Cuomo to Crack Down on Distracted Driving

If you're reading this behind the wheel, you might want to stop. Governor Andrew Cuomo will soon be introducing new legislation cracking down on distracted driving.

Distracted driving doesn't just mean talking on your cell phone (which, by the way, has been banned in the state of New York since 2009.) It also extends to fiddling with any electronic devices, including cell phones, tablet readers and laptops.

Though distracted driving has long been punishable by law, Cuomo's legislation would make the consequences more severe. Distracted driving would become a primary offense, meaning that the driver need not be breaking any other law in order to be cited.

The new legislation would also add three points to the offending driver's license rather than two, giving it equal weight as running a red light, driving in the wrong direction, or fleeing the scene after hitting a domestic animal. Seriously. Accruing 11 points in an 18-month period can result in a suspended license.

What about other forms of distracted driving, like eating a cheeseburger or painting one's nails?

There's actually no prominent legislation - pending or otherwise - for drivers distracted by items other than electronics, said Michael Murphy, the communications director for Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit dedicated to improving the safety of New York's streets. There is, however, a bill that addresses engaging in a "non-driving activity," which results in a count of reckless driving if  three or more infractions are racked up in an 18-month period, said a representative from the Bill Status Hotline, who declined to give her name.

The moral of the story is plain and simple: If you're driving, don't plan on doing anything else.