Your phone and what you do with it is your business, right? Wrong. That won’t be the case if lawmakers in New York have anything to do with it. A bill submitted would force any driver involved in an accident to submit their phone for testing to determine whether or not they were using it immediately preceding the accident.
Purportedly, the new “textalyzer” would not analyze any private information. Instead, it would simply look to ascertain if a driver had been using their phone in any manner prior to the accident. That is…was the driver distracted by their cell phone. Any person who refused to turn their phone over would face an immediate license suspension.
Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous habits that people have. In fact, it could be called one of the most deadly. Still, 67% of drivers admit to using their phones behind the wheel.
Even though people understand that texting behind the wheel is a national problem, opponents of the bill don’t know that this new technology is the answer. No one knows exactly how it will work without accessing information. No one is certain how the technology will determine exactly what someone was doing on their phone prior to an accident. For now, there are too many unanswered questions for many to feel comfortable with the proposed law.
If you have been involved in an accident in New York, you may be entitled to compensation under the law. Call our office and let a member of our team review the details of your case at no cost to you. We are here to help.