Shut up and drive!
That’s the message the NYPD delivered yesterday to thousands of motorists who were ticketed in a citywide crackdown on handheld-cellphone use.
Drivers caught with a hand on a cellphone instead of the steering wheel were hit with a $120 summons. Even though a publicity blitz warned motorists in advance of the 24-hour crackdown, which began at 12:01 a.m., some 4,000 drivers got tickets by the time the evening rush hour began.
Cops usually issue about 500 such tickets on a normal day.
Cabdriver Alejandro Martinez said he’s been ticketed twice for cellphone use. “Of course people not paying attention causes accidents, but sometimes there is an emergency,” Martinez said. “The police should give a warning.”
Actually, TLC regulations forbid cabbies from using even hands-free cellphones while driving.
Cops on all patrol shifts throughout the five boroughs were instructed to be on the lookout.