What A ‘Texting While Driving’ Ticket Costs In New York

You've been warned before of the risks of texting and driving. With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Office is issuing another reminder with the hope that you aren't the next driver to be issued a ticket, or worse.

State officials say, since 2011, there's been an 840% increase in the number of tickets issued for texting and driving on New York roads. Meanwhile, they also note the number of citations for talking on a cell phone and driving have decline each year since 2011.

Today (April 8) begins a six-day, zero tolerance crackdown on texting behind the wheel.

If you're caught texting and driving in New York, you face upto a $450 fine and upto five points on your license.

According to the website, DontTextDrive.com:

• The United States Department of Transportation notes that cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year that cause a half million injuries and take 6,000 lives.
• During any point of the day, 11 percent of drivers are talking on their cell phones, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an auto crash than driving when intoxicated.