Hizzoner isn’t playing when it comes to distracted driving.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio directed his police detail to stop and cite a motorist for texting while he was traveling on FDR Drive in Manhattan over the weekend.
“I just said, ‘Pull her over, take whatever enforcement action you would take in that situation. Give her some on-the-spot education,’ ” de Blasio told reporters a few days later, while pushing his new traffic safety initiative under the Vision Zero umbrella.
“I’m happy to be citizen patrol here,” he added.
De Blasio said he didn’t know if the woman was told the Big Apple mayor was the informant.
“I don’t understand why people take that chance,” he told reporters. “They could kill someone.”
De Blasio has an ally in Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at least on the distracted driving front. Cuomo has cracked down repeatedly on texting & driving and cell phone use behind the wheel since he took office in 2011.
New York’s fines for handheld cell phone use while driving range from $50 to $450, plus points against the driver’s license.
