To avoid bicycle accidents in New York, Councilman Mark Treyger porposed a new law to ban cellphone use while bicycling

In a city like New York where traffic is dense, using a cellphone while riding a bicycle can have catastrophic consequences. After witnessing a distracted cyclist almost causing a multi-car accident because he was texting while riding his bike, Councilman Mark Treyger did some legal research and was surprised to learn that in New York there is no law prohibiting cycling and texting or cycling and calling. Therefore he decided to introduce a new bill that would ban cellphone use while bicycling and punish first time offenders with a safety class.

The NYPD says that the law isn’t really necessary. They have already issued 423 tickets this year for distracted bicycling compared to 213 last year.Bike advocates are not in favor of the new bill either. They argue that it would take police resources away from fighting other more dangerous behavior in the streets of New York.