NY State Troopers say they've seen a dramatic increase in cell phone use while driving over the past year.
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. - New York State Troopers say they've seen an increase of collisions on the I-90 between the Walden Galleria Mall and the entrance to the I-290.
On the same stretch of road, there have been numerous tickets for cell phone use. According to Captain Mike Nigrelli, about 2,700 tickets were written in that area in 2009.
Troopers enforce the law so heavily for one reason: it's dangerous.
"They're no longer really focusing on the road or where they're going. They're more preoccupied with other things going on. And it only takes an instant, it takes a second for the road conditions to change ... for traffic to change and you find yourself in an accident," Nigrelli said.
In terms of texting while driving, it's tough to give someone a ticket. Since it's a secondary offense, you can't get pulled over unless you've committed a primary offense, like speeding, first.
"It can be frustrating. What you're trying to do is save lives. You're trying to protect people, so you want the best laws, the strongest laws possible to help you do the job as efficiently as possible," Nigrelli said. "It's a very serious issue. How many people need to die while texting before everyone gets the message?"