It is now entirely illegal to be texting while driving in the state of New York. We reported on this in late August and the ban is now in effect to fine all who text and drive.

The law says that drivers can be fined for the offense only if they are pulled over for another offense (going through a stop sign/red light because you had to tell your bff what you're doing, which is definitely not paying attention to the road).

If you're caught texting and driving, the fine is $150 (plus whatever else you were pulled over for).

theCD's take: DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE! It's really not worth risking your life or that of others. Just pull over if it's that important or get a Ford vehicle with SYNC that reads your text messages over the speakers and allows you to respond by voice.