The number of drivers issued a ticket for talking on a hand-held cellphone is dropping in New York state — but more people than ever are being caught texting while behind the wheel.
Drivers received 132,000 tickets in 2015 for TALKING on a hand-held cellphone, down from nearly 250,000 tickets in 2011. Meantime, tickets for texting while driving have shot up from 9,000 in 2011 to nearly 85,000 last year as smartphones became more common.
State police through Wednesday are conducting stepped-up enforcement of the ban on texting while driving starting today and lasting through Wednesday.
First-time offenders can face fines of up to $200.
© 2016 AP