WESTERN NEW YORK – Crossing the street while you’re texting could become illegal.
There’s a bill in the New York State Senate right now looking to ban people from using portable electronics while crossing the road.
If you do you’d face a fine; anywhere from $25 to $50. It’s not just texting, we’re talking about checking e-mails and browsing the internet.
Emergencies would be the only exception. The bill was actually introduced in the state assembly last year but didn’t get anywhere.
The transportation committees in both the assembly and the senate will have to give the bill the thumbs up before it can go to a full vote; but the chair of the senate transport committee has some doubts. He says he wants to protect people but this seems like a bit of an overreach.
Pedestrian deaths are the highest in decades. The governor’s highway safety association estimates more than 6 thousand pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes last year.
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