Schumer: L.I. Leads In Texting-Driving Deaths

Nearly 100 teenagers were killed in texting-while-driving automobile crashes in five years in New York City and Long Island, with nearly half those fatalities occurring on the Island. U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced the grim news Oct. 4.

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) made a chilling announcement Oct. 4, saying that nearly 100 teenagers have died in texting-while-driving accidents in the last five years in New York City and on Long Island.

Schumer used federal Department of Transportation statistics on accidents in which the driver was found to be texting behind the wheel in the tally. Nearly half the deaths were on Long Island.

The senator has proposed to require all states to ban texting while driving. In New York, a ban takes effect Nov. 1.

The Obama administration said last week it would seek to ban text messaging by interstate bus drivers and truckers and would push states to pass their own laws against driving cars while distracted.

Schumer’s announcement came in the wake of a Distracted Driving Summit that wrapped up in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 1. The summit, organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation, featured senior transportation officials, elected officials, law enforcement representatives, academics and safety advocates. Its goal was to strategize and generate ideas on how to combat the growing problem.

With The Associated Press.