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Cell phone citations skyrocket since 2002

By David Freedlander | dfreedlander@am-ny.com

4:47 PM EDT, June 10, 2008

Cell phone toting drivers in the city just can't seem to shut up, despite a 2001 law outlawing talking on hand held phones while on the road.

The number of violations has grown exponentially since the law was first instituted five years ago, totaling nearly 200,000 across the five boroughs in 2007, a fivefold jump from 2002.

New Yorkers' failure to keep both hands on the wheel worried bicycling and pedestrian advocates.

"In a city where you need your eyes and attention on the road for every second, that's obviously an enormous problem," said Wiley Norvell, spokesman for Transportation Alternatives. "You still see it on every street corner."

New York was one of the first states to ban driving while using a hand held phone. Four other states have since followed suit. Fines for driving while talking can be for as much as $100.

The NYPD, which issues the summonses, said the increase was not the result of increased vigilance by the cops but increased negligence by drivers.

"Talking on the cell phone while driving is a significant cause of vehicle accidents, injuries and fatalities," said Lt. John Grimpel, a department spokesman.

In 2006, the last year statistics are available, cell phone use contributed to 63 car accidents in the city, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The New Yorkers who still sneak in the occasional chat while on the phone say the pace of life in the big city means they have occasionally take chances.

"If I'm meeting someone or going somewhere, I use it to make sure I know where I'm going," said Jen Singh, 32, of Staten Island.

"People call me, so I have to answer," said Michelle Johnson, 23, of Queens.

She did concede one point to safety though: "I try to keep it short, tell them I'm driving."

Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association said the increase in violations was likely the result of drivers unaware of the law.

"When the law was instituted, they had a major public information campaign, but that message has fallen from public view," he said.

And Matt Sundeen, who studies transportation for the National Conference on State Legislators, pegged the increase in tickets on the fact that simply more people own cell phones. He said that it was too soon to tell how effective "driving while distracted" laws are.

Simone Herbin contributed to this story.