New York News

Cuomo Announces Crackdown On Drivers Who Text

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published May 31, 2013 at 4:56 PM EDT

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting tougher on drivers who text or chat on their phones while at the wheel. Cuomo, the father of three teen-agers, said Friday that a change will go into effect starting Saturday. The revised penalty applies to any kind of cellphone activity while driving. Drivers will see the penalty for texting while driving increase from three points off their driver’s licenses to five points. Cuomo told CBS New York he spends a lot of time in a car and he sees people texting while driving every day.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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