By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Looks like New Yorkers can’t help from blabbing into their cell phones while behind the wheel.
The NYPD had issued 3,753 summonses as of 6 p.m. Thursday during a citywide crackdown on drivers who text or talk on their mobile phones while driving, police reported.
The police said in a statement that the crackdown was part of the NYPD’s “focus on traffic infractions linked to death and injury.”
When the NYPD conducted a similar initiative in January, a total of 7,485 summonses were issued for the violation.
Using a hand-held device while driving a vehicle is illegal in New York City, and drivers face a $130 penalty for the infraction.
An average of 617 summonses per day are issued to city drivers who violate the law, the NYPD added.
The crackdown continued through midnight on Thursday. The NYPD does not yet have the final number of total summonses issued for the day.
