Minimum Fine Of Fifty Dollars May Be Imposed For Texting While Driving In New York

A new law that is part of the budget deal being discussed in Albany will set a minimum fine of fifty dollars for those ticketed for a first-time texting while driving offense.

Repeat offenders may face fines of up to four hundred dollars.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association there are currently ten states that prohibit handheld cellular telephone use while driving.  The act is considered a primary enforcement violation in all but two of those, meaning that a driver could be pulled over for that offense alone.  Thirty-nine states ban texting while driving.

The deadline for the budget to be passed is April 1, 2013.