On January 29th, TLC agents began enforcing strict new laws and penalties for cab drivers who use hand held electronic devices and cell phones—even hands-free! Since the crackdown began, the city has ticketed 704 taxi drivers, with the first offense carrying a hefty $200 fine. But has the ticket blitz gone too far?
Cabbie Mohamad Diallo, 36, says his hack brother was ticketed for talking on his phone as he waited in line at a taxi stand. There was no passenger in the cab, and the two men were talking about their brother-in-law's death. Diallo tells the Daily News, "I don't think it's fair. He wasn't even driving." Another veteran driver vows to keep defying the law, but only because he needs to get updates from his wife about their autistic teenage son. "I have to keep talking to my wife," the driver said. "My kid comes first."
The TLC remains committed to the heigtened enforcement because it forces drivers to focus on the road. A second offense triggers a 30-day suspension, and a third violation within 15 months results in the loss of his license. But Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, insists cabbies are being unfairly targeted, and cites one study that found cabbies are less crash-prone than other drivers in the city. "They are professional drivers," Desai tells the News. Sure, but does that mean they're impervious to distraction while chatting on the phone?
